Granite countertops and radon: the soil under the house matters more
Test the lowest lived-in room. Do not start by tearing out the kitchen.
Oct 25, 2026
Radon testing guides
118 articles
Radon is a radioactive gas that forms in the soil as uranium breaks down. It seeps in through foundation cracks and gaps around pipes. Insulation and a tight house hold it indoors. Years of exposure cause lung cancer, and the gas is still little known. Use the search below for the words people look up: radioactive gas, uranium, foundation, airtight home, lung cancer, becquerels.
Radon in well water: a secondary path, with a 2,000 Bq/L cue
Drinking it is not the main risk. Showering it into the air matters more, and soil gas still comes first.
Oct 25, 2026
Radon in a basement apartment: the bedroom closest to the soil
Ask in writing. The person who controls the building controls the repair.
Oct 25, 2026
Which apartment floor to test for radon
The neighbour upstairs is not your unit. The condo board does not replace the bedroom test.
Oct 25, 2026
Radon on the second floor: it usually falls as you go up
Testing only the upstairs living room misses the basement bedroom.
Oct 25, 2026
Sump pit and radon: an open hole at the low point of the slab
Health Canada excludes the sump as a test location because the number there is not the room.
Oct 25, 2026
Sealing cracks will not fix radon
Sealant helps a mitigation system. Alone, it is not a result under 200.
Oct 25, 2026
Energy retrofits can raise radon
The sealant did not create radon. The house keeps it.
Oct 25, 2026
Radon in a cottage or cabin: test the season you actually sleep there
An annual average for a year-round house is not the instruction sheet for a cabin.
Oct 25, 2026
Testing for radon in summer: open windows, a low number
Summer can answer a deadline. It does not replace a heating-season test.
Oct 25, 2026
Where not to place a radon detector
The number has to describe a room used more than four hours a day.
Oct 25, 2026
Closed-house conditions for a radon test
Opening the house “so the test is fair” lowers the number and misses the exposure.
Oct 25, 2026
Loading