Radon and lung cancer in Canada no cough, a long exposure
Health Canada estimates that about 16% of lung cancers are from radon exposure, more than 3,000 deaths a year. It is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who do not smoke. Radon is a Class 1 carcinogen. You cannot see it, smell it, or feel it in the month the level is high.
Radon-222 decays into solid products that attach to dust. Inhaled, they emit radiation in the lung. Risk depends on the concentration and the number of years. A weekend at 400 Bq/m³ is not ten winters in a basement bedroom.
What does not warn you
There is no risk-free level. Below 200 Bq/m³ the risk is smaller. It is not zero. An air purifier, houseplants, or a window opened on Sunday are not a measurement. Smokers face a combined risk: radon and smoking. The threshold choice: 100 or 200.
References: Health Canada, radon: what you need to know and the 200 Bq/m³ guideline. The two-year window between 200 and 600, and the one-year window above 600, come from Health Canada’s guide for radon measurements in homes.
The 4-day test is a first reading. The 91-day test covers the minimum of three months Health Canada asks for. Both are $59 before tax. Shipping, the prepaid return and the lab are included. Tax is extra. The PDF report goes out within 2 business days after the lab receives the detector.
Above 200 Bq/m³, mitigation starts with a quote. Gaz Radon is C-NRPP certified for testing and for installation, and ships kits across Canada.
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