Radon gas is a byproduct of the break-down of uranium in soil, slowly seeping out from the earth’s crust. It is invisible, odourless, and deadly. Because of how radon emanates into the air it is everywhere, but in very low concentrations. When radon is in a home, it becomes concentrated as it is trapped in an enclosed space. Cracks in a home’s foundation are the number one reason that radon creeps up into a home, as the differentials in pressure inside and outside can have your a structire act as a vacuum that sucks up the radon.
Exposure to radon is linked to lung cancer through the inhalation of radioactive decay particles that cause damage to lung cells. Living in a home with radon gas leads to repeated exposure to these particles. The National Cancer Institute of Canada states that the majority (90 per cent) estimated number of deaths per year in Canada from lung cancer is due to smoking, the remaining 10 per cent is exposure-caused lung cancer.
The amount of radon in your home depends on several variable factors, including weather variations such as changes in barometric pressure, the use of fireplaces, exhaust fans or windows, the condition of your foundation, soil characteristics and the construction of your home. Some hardware or health stores in larger urban centers may have various radon testing supplies, such as charcoal detectors or passive alpha-track detectors. Most of the testing kits need to be sent out to laboratories for analysis and cannot be read by you at home.
Some radon testing kits can take up to a year, but others can take less than ninety days. Short-term tests should be done during a real estate transaction if it is a concern, followed-up by a long-term one later.
If you intend to purchase a house, you could have the home tested professionally and indicate to your broker if and what the test results were, or you could make an offer conditional upon radon testing that is void if levels are too high. Currently testing is not legally required.
