The Radon Man
Understanding Radon
The gas you can’t see, smell or taste
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from uranium in soil and rock. It can enter any home through openings where the building contacts the ground.
You can’t see, smell, or taste radon, and the radon level in one home can be very different from the home next door. The only way to know your home’s radon level is to test.
Where it comes from
Radon is produced naturally as uranium in soil and rock slowly breaks down. Because uranium occurs naturally in the ground across Canada, radon is present virtually everywhere.
Outdoors, radon disperses into the atmosphere and remains at low concentrations. Inside a building, however, radon can enter from the soil beneath and around the foundation and accumulate in the indoor air.
That means the age, appearance, or neighbourhood of a home cannot tell you what its radon level will be. Testing can.
16%
of lung cancer deaths in Canada can be attributed to Radon exposure.
Up to 1 in 3
lifetime risk of lung cancer for smokers exposed long-term to high radon levels.
Group 1
Radon and it’s decay products are classified as group 1 carcinogens
How it gets into your home
The air pressure inside a home is often slightly lower than the pressure in the soil around and beneath it. This pressure difference can draw soil gas, including radon, through openings in the foundation. As heat rises in your home and leaves through the upper levels, this can also create a “stack effect” which draws air from the lower levels and your foundation up into higher levels of your home.
Radon can enter through many paths, including cracks, construction joints, gaps around pipes and utilities, floor drains, sumps and other openings where the building contacts the ground.
Foundation cracks
Cracks and joints in concrete can provide a pathway for radon entry.
Gaps and penetrations
Openings around pipes, drains and posts can allow soil gas to enter.
Sump pits
Unsealed sump pits can provide direct connection between the home and the soil below.
Why it matters more than you think
Radon itself decays into tiny radioactive particles called radon decay products. When they are inhaled, they can lodge in the lungs and release alpha radiation that damages nearby lung tissue. Over many years of exposure, that damage increases the risk of lung cancer.
Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in Canada after smoking and the leading cause among non-smokers. The risk increases with both the radon concentration and the length of time a person is exposed. Smoking and radon exposure together increase the risk substantially.
The only way to know
You won’t feel it, smell it, or see it
Radon causes no immediate warning signs. You cannot judge a home’s radon level by its age, condition, location or appearance.
The only way to know is to measure it.