While virtually every residential resale agreement contains a warranty that the property does not contain any known urea formaldehyde foam insulation, I have almost never seen a contract which refers to radon, an odourless, colourless, tasteless — and deadly — gas that occurs naturally in the environment.
Radon is a radioactive gas in the ground that you can’t see or smell.
It is formed naturally by the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. It gets into homes and buildings undetected through cracks in the foundation or gaps around pipes.
When radon is released from the ground outside into the atmosphere, it becomes diluted and is not a concern.
However, in homes and other buildings it can sometimes accumulate to dangerous levels, which pose a health risk.
According to Toronto Public Health, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and causes 16 per cent of lung cancer deaths each year.
Radon levels can only be determined by testing. The city estimates that seven per cent of all buildings in Toronto — including homes, workplaces and schools — have levels of radon that may pose a health risk.
In Toronto alone, 10 deaths related to radon exposure could be prevented each year if radon levels were reduced below the Canadian radon guideline.
I find it strange that radon is not more of a concern in the real estate industry, especially since Health Canada estimates that more than 3,000 lung cancer deaths among Canadians are attributable to indoor radon exposure every year. Smokers exposed to radon are at significantly higher risk of lung cancer.
Radon is present in almost every home in Canada.
The only way to know if the radon level is high is to conduct a test with an inexpensive do-it-yourself test kit (about $35) or to hire a certified radon professional to conduct the test.
An air sample collected using a do-it-yourself kit is mailed away to a laboratory, and results are usually available online in under a week.
Another option is to buy a radon detector — like a smoke detector only more expensive, with prices starting at around $100 at major retailers.
The higher the radon level and the longer people are exposed to radon, the higher the risk.
Tests show that seven per cent of Canadians are living in homes with radon levels above the current radon guideline of 200 Bq/m3 where Bq stands for Becquerel which is one unit of radioactive decay.
A reading of 200 Bq/m³ means there are 200 radioactive decays per second in each cubic metre of air. That is the maximum level recommended by Health Canada.
Cancer Care Ontario reports that 2.7 per cent of Toronto homes have radon levels exceeding 200 Bq/m³, and another 16.2 per cent have lower radon levels with readings of 100–199 Bq/m³, which is considered concerning by World Health Organization standards.
The Canadian Lung Association, the Canadian Real Estate Association and a number of public health agencies have designated November as Radon Action Month. It’s a good time to buy a radon test kit or detector and investigate how to mitigate radon levels if the readings are too high. I ordered mine last week.
Since radon levels can vary a lot from day to day or week to week, it’s still important to do a long-term test to get a good representation of your annual average radon level.
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https://radonmap.com/canada/ontario
https://crosscanadaradon.ca/survey/
Cancer Care Ontario: https://www.cancercareontario.ca/en/cancer-facts/risk-residential-radon-exposure-varies-geographically
City of Toronto Public Health: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/health-programs-advice/radon-and-your-health/
York Region Public Health: https://www.york.ca/newsroom/campaigns-projects/radon-test-your-home