Millions of Canadian homes have high levels of cancer-causing radon. Is yours one of them?

You can’t see or smell radon, the cancer-causing gas lurking inside millions of Canadian homes.

Roughly one in five residential buildings in Canada has high radon levels — a figure that’s more than doubled since the late 2000s — while radon-induced lung cancer kills an estimated 3,200 people each year, federal figures show.

This radioactive gas is released from the ground and flows into buildings across the country, but scientists say modern designs and renovations likely play a role in why more Canadians are being exposed in their own homes.

“We are pretty good at keeping air inside of our homes because we want to keep the heat inside … especially in this kind of cold climate that we live in,” said Pawel Mekarski, head of radon technical operations at Health Canada. 

“A lot of the time when we are doing renovations and retrofits, we’re typically trying to make the building more airtight, without necessarily introducing any sort of other ventilation.”

There’s hope that could change. A long-awaited update to the national building code, just released in late December, requires newly built homes to include a passive radon stack, which acts like a chimney to help reduce indoor radon buildup.

Though that code sets out the guidelines for construction projects throughout the country, it still needs to be adopted by provinces and territories.

“We hope to see these systems introduced in future homes in Canada,” Mekarski said.

But what about existing homes that are at risk of having high radon levels? And how do you know if your own house is a danger zone?

How to test for radon in your home

Experts say the only way to know if your home contains a high amount of radon is to test for it.

The process is simple: You can either hire a radon measurement professional or buy your own test kit. (Some communities provide free radon monitors through libraries or local public health units. You can find out more information through the federal Take Action on Radon program.)

Health Canada recommends testing your home for at least 91 days, and ideally for a period of three to 12 months to get the most accurate results. It’s also important to test during the colder months when windows and doors are likely shut, trapping more radon in your home. 

WATCH | How to check for radon in your own home:

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Installing radon mitigation systems

The current national guideline for indoor radon levels is 200 becquerels — the standard unit of radioactivity, which refers to the rate of nuclear decay — per metre cubed (Bq/m3).

If your home’s readings hit that threshold, the Take Action on Radon program offers a searchable list of certified radon professionals who can install mitigation systems. These typically involve a pipe that runs from the foundation floor up through the roof, with a small fan attached, to draw radon outside before it can enter the house. Installations usually take a day or less.

The catch? In most regions, the cost of all that work falls on homeowners, amid a patchwork system of charity and government-based funding options.

Ontario covers radon mitigation work through its home warranty program, with coverage lasting up to seven years after a home is built. In Manitoba, there’s a unique financing program that allows households to spread out radon mitigation costs over their hydro bills.

For those people paying out of pocket, the cost of mitigation systems can run anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 and sometimes more, depending on the size, structure and location of the house.

‘Cost is a significant barrier’

The cost of mitigation work is simply unattainable for many Canadians, says Sarah Butson, CEO of the Canadian Lung Association.

“We know that cost is a significant barrier to people actually taking action on radon,” she added. “It can be a barrier to testing in the first place, because if you know that you can’t afford actually mitigating on the other side of that, why test?”

The non-profit cancer advocacy group offers the only cross-Canada grant program to help offset mitigation costs for low- and middle-income households. Last year, it provided around $150,000 in funding to roughly a hundred households across the country. Butson said that’s just a drop in the bucket.

“The reality is that programs like ours are at capacity, and so we need more support to actually be able to fill that gap even further,” she said.

WATCH | A deep dive on how scientists are tackling radon:

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Radon gas is invisible, toxic and millions of Canadians have no idea it’s hiding in their homes. For The National, CBC’s Lauren Pelley breaks down the health risks and what you can do to keep your home safe.

Radon mitigation ‘vital’ to protecting families

Others say the cost of radon mitigation for homeowners is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Dr. Kong Khoo, an oncologist with B.C. Cancer, was diagnosed with Stage 1 lung cancer himself in March 2020 during a routine medical exam. 

“My first thought, that moment I heard that pathology report, was: it’s got to be radon,” he told CBC News.

After his diagnosis, Khoo installed a radon monitor in his Kelowna home. Within days, he saw sky-high levels of 400 to 600 Bq/m3 — double, even triple the Health Canada threshold.

Khoo’s cancer was caught early enough for successful treatment, and he remains convinced that long-term exposure to those high radon levels in his home is what led it to develop in the first place. 

Alongside his cancer treatment, he also treated his house by installing a mitigation system.

“I think the cost of measuring radon is miniscule, relative to the scope of the problem,” he said. “It’s vital for every single homeowner to do that, to protect themselves and their families, because there’s no other way you can find out if you’re at risk.”