New study shows dangerous levels of radon gas in Canadian homes

Exposure to radon gas is the 2nd starring origin of cancer, according to a new country-wide study led by a researcher astatine the University of Calgary.

The authors accidental the study, released Wednesday, is the archetypal broad update connected radon vulnerability successful Canada since 2012.

It says astir 17.8 per cent, oregon 10.3 cardinal Canadian homes, incorporate unsafe levels of the cancer-causing gas. That’s much than treble the 7 per cent of households that were estimated to person radon levels successful the past large survey successful 2012.

Radon is simply a colourless, odourless, radioactive state that forms people erstwhile uranium, thorium oregon radium — radioactive metals — interruption down successful rocks, ungraded and groundwater.

Exposure comes from breathing radon successful aerial that enters buildings and location done cracks and gaps and increases the hazard of lung cells transforming into a cancer, particularly if they are exposed implicit galore years oregon to precise ample amounts of radon.

Health Canada’s line for radon is simply a level of 200 Bq/m3 and if they are supra that, the Canadian Cancer Society says the homeowner should work with a nonrecreational to get them lowered.

The survey “provides a greater knowing of however radical surviving successful Canada successful the 2020s are being exposed to radon crossed our divers communities, houses, and regions,” says Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, a prof of biochemistry and molecular biology astatine the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine.

The 2024 survey included 75,000 readings from municipality and agrarian residential buildings crossed Canada.

The study besides contains 5 times much readings than the 14,000 taken successful 2012.

“From my position arsenic a researcher studying this implicit the past 10 years, it’s nary surprise. As a lung crab prevention advocate, of people it is alarming,” said Goodarzi.

In Calgary and Edmonton, the study says astir 1 successful six properties person radon levels astatine oregon supra Health Canada guidelines.

In the communities of High River, Okotoks and Strathmore, astatine slightest 1 4th to fractional of residences incorporate radon astatine oregon supra 200 Bq/m³.

Some of the study’s different cardinal findings include:

• 1 successful 5 Canadian ​residential buildings are astatine oregon supra 200 Bq/m³;
• 1 successful 4 agrarian Prairie and NWT properties are astatine oregon supra 200 Bq/m³;
• 1 successful 6 municipality Prairie and NWT properties are astatine oregon supra 200 Bq/m³;
• 1 successful 5 single-detatched Prairie and NWT properties are astatine oregon supra 200 Bq/m³;
• 1 successful 6 Prairie and NWT Semi-detached properties are astatine oregon supra 200 Bq/m³;
• 1 successful 10 Prairie and NWT Row-style properties are astatine oregon supra 200 Bq/m³.

Goodarzi said the emergence successful radon could beryllium partially due to the fact that readings were taken connected a crushed level oregon successful a basement compared to the remainder of a home.

He said caller location builds are besides much vigor businesslike and trap radon inside.

“Canadians are among the astir highly radon-exposed radical connected Earth, and that means we urgently request to code this to debar a aboriginal of prevalent but different avoidable lung cancers,” Goodarzi added.

People request to instal radon detectors successful their homes and instrumentality measures to region precocious levels of the gas, added Goodarzi.

He besides hopes changes volition besides beryllium made successful the operation of caller homes to relationship for radon.

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Healthy Cities Research Initiative, Health Canada, the Alberta Real Estate Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society.

The conjugation of researchers includes scientists from Health Canada and CAREX Canada.

“I’m precise concerned. I deliberation the information accuracy of the caller study is much robust,” said Allison Wallace, a thoracic surgeon astatine the QEII Health Sciences Centre successful Halifax and co-author of the report.

“It’s much existent numbers and radical should instrumentality it seriously.”

The Lung Health Foundation praised the study for its “clear and urgent message.”

“We present cognize that astir 18 per cent of Canadian homes incorporate unsafe radon levels that necessitate swift action. It’s worse than we antecedently thought,” said Jessica Buckley, president and CEO of the foundation

“We deliberation it volition animate a record-breaking fig of Canadians to trial their homes and workplaces.”