How to test your home for radon

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You probably minimize your family's exposure to toxic chemicals by using paraben-free shampoo, living in a scent-free home, cleaning your tub with baking soda and gardening pesticide-free.

Here's another way to keep a healthy home: Test it for radon (Enter below to win a detector!)

Radon is a radioactive gas formed by the natural decay of uranium in soil and rock -- which all our homes are built on. Radon can seep into buildings through foundation cracks, become trapped and accumulate. Without proper ventilation, concentrations in indoor air can reach dangerous levels.

Radon is a known carcinogen -- responsible for 16 per cent of all lung cancer deaths in Canada and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

You can't smell it, see it or taste it.

Radon concentrations are known to be high in some parts of Canada (CAREX Canada's online map illustrates Health Canada's survey of radon levels in 14,000 Canadian homes. Click on your province and city.) But no areas of our country are "radon-free".

How can I measure radon in my home?

Step one: Purchase a testing device. They can cost as little as thirty dollars.

Check your local hardware store
Purchase online from many Lung Associations across Canada or the Radiation Safety Institute
Contact a business specializing in radon testing

Some stores sell only short-term radon detectors. Be sure to select a test device that measures concentrations over a period of at least 90 days.

Step two: Set up your testing device. Indoor radon levels can vary hour to hour and day to day, so test for at least three months to calculate long-term average concentrations. The best time is during cooler seasons when your heater is on and windows are closed.

Step three: If concentrations are high, a certified mitigation professional can help, likely for less than the price of a new furnace.

Health Canada's indoor radon guideline is 200 becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3, a measure of radioactivity) -- double the World Health Organization's advice. The David Suzuki Foundation wants Health Canada to revise the national radon guideline to 100 Bq/m3 and ensure prevention, testing and, where necessary, mitigation in public-access buildings, including daycares, schools and hospitals.

Step four: Stay informed:

Take Action on Radon
Radon Aware
Health Canada
The David Suzuki Foundation's 2015 report, Revisiting Canada's Radon Guideline

I'm testing my home for radon this spring and I hope you will, too!

Enter below to win a radon detector donated by the BC Lung Association (draw date May 21, 2015).

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Sincerely,

Lindsay Coulter, a fellow Queen of Green

Hey! Want more DSF? Join David Suzuki on Facebook