Radon
WHAT IS RADON?
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF RADON?
DOWNLOAD THE HEALTH CANADA BROCHURE on Radon for more information.
Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes
Health Canada recently completed the analysis of the data from the first year of the Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes. This is a two year project to gather long-term (3-month or longer) indoor radon measurement results from across Canada. The goal of this study is to get a better understanding of radon levels so that we can better inform and help protect Canadians from the risks of long term radon exposure.
Over the two years of this study approximately 18,000 participants will be recruited via telephone. In the first year, approximately 9000 homes were randomly selected across all provinces and territories and a long-term radon test was conducted during the 2009/2010 fall and winter heating season. By sampling across the country as opposed to a few large cities, Health Canada will obtain a better estimate of the geographic distribution of radon levels across Canada. All participants from year 1 of the study have been informed of the specific radon results for their household and information on radon remediation was provided to those households with elevated levels.
While the radon levels in the vast majority of Canadian homes are below the current Canadian guideline of 200 Bq/m³, first-year results indicate that approximately 7% of Canadian homes have elevated radon levels. The results from the first year of this study reinforce how important it is for Canadians to test the radon level in their homes. The following table shows the percentage of participants in each province/territory with results below 200 Bq/m³, between 200 and 600 Bq/m³ and above 600 Bq/m³.
Year Radon Results by Province and Territory |
|||
|
Province/Territory |
Below 200 Bq/m³ |
200 to 600 Bq/m³ |
Above 600 Bq/m³ |
|
Alta. |
93.1% |
6.5% |
0.4% |
|
B.C. |
95.4% |
3.9% |
0.7% |
|
Man. |
76.5% |
22.1% |
1.4% |
|
N.B. |
83.0% |
11.7% |
5.3% |
|
N.L. |
94.7% |
4.4% |
0.9% |
|
N.S. |
91.8% |
6.3% |
1.9% |
|
N.W.T. |
96.0% |
4.0% |
0.0% |
|
NU |
100.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
|
Ont. |
95.1% |
4.3% |
0.6% |
|
P.E.I. |
95.5% |
4.5% |
0.0% |
|
Que. |
91.0% |
8.3% |
0.7% |
|
Sask. |
84.2% |
14.2% |
1.6% |
|
Y.T. |
84.1% |
10.6% |
5.3% |









