Radon and lung cancer about 16% of cases in Canada
Health Canada ranks radon among the causes of lung cancer: about 16% of cases, more than 3,000 deaths a year in Canada. It is the leading cause among people who do not smoke. The gas is a class 1 carcinogen. You cannot see it, you cannot smell it, and it does not cause a cough in the month the level is high.
Radon-222 decays into solid products that stick to dust in the air. Once inhaled, they emit radiation in the lung. The risk depends on the concentration and the number of years. A weekend at 400 Bq/m³ does not compare with ten winters in a basement bedroom.
What does not prevent it
There is no risk-free level. Under 200 Bq/m³ the risk falls. It does not fall to zero. An air purifier, plants, or a window opened on Sunday do not replace a measurement. Symptoms wrongly blamed on radon are covered in radon and symptoms. Smokers are a separate case: smokers and radon.
The only check
The room occupied more than four hours a day, at the lowest lived-in level, for at least three months of heating. How to do the test.
Reference points: Health Canada, what you need to know about radon and the 200 Bq/m³ guideline. The two-year timeline between 200 and 600, and one year above 600, comes from Health Canada’s guide for radon measurements in homes.
The 4-day test gives a first reading. The 91-day test covers the three-month minimum Health Canada asks for. Both are $59 before tax: shipping, return and the laboratory are included, taxes extra. The PDF report is sent within 2 business days after the laboratory receives the detector.
Above 200 Bq/m³, mitigation is confirmed with a quote. Gaz Radon is C-NRPP certified for measurement and mitigation.
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