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See also: Health Experts Sound Alarm on Radon (June 14th, 2006)

I have just come across your on-line article entitled "Radon Gas: A False Alarm?"  The information was from a study carried out and published in 1999 and I am wondering if recent research has confirmed that radon gas should be a non-issue for homeowners.

I am in the process of buying a home in the town of Port Hope, in which testing has revealed a radon level of 6.0 pCi/L and have become alarmed at information being issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO.)  Even Health Canada is saying that it is up to individual homeowners to determine what level of radon gas is a risk to them in their homes.  This is rather disconcerting to say the least.  Can you assist me at all in clarifying this controversy?

Concerned Homebuyer

Dear Homebuyer,

Depending upon which country's guidelines you follow, your prospective home might be higher than the recommended level (4.0 pCi/L is the EPA action level) or well within accepted levels (15.0 pCi/L is the action level for radioactive clean-up at Port Hope and pre-1977 houses in Elliot Lake and Bancroft.)  The design criterion for new homes in Ontario is 2.0 pCi/L.

Interpretation of the test result of 6.0 pCi/L in your prospective home is dependent upon ventilation and other radon mitigation measures.  Was the house ventilated at the time of the test and if not, is that the normal operating condition of the house?  An unventilated home is not healthy, for many reasons in addition to the possible accumulation of radon gas.  All new homes are built with mechanical ventilation, in the form of "air exchangers" or "heat recovery ventilators" due to the extremely air-tight nature of new homes.  In addition to ventilation, something which seems quite clear is that concrete floors and finished basement interiors are mandatory for healthy indoor living - not only for radon mitigation, but to provide an adequate supply of clean, fresh air for occupants.

The entire radon issue is based upon establishing a correlation between radon levels in the home and lung cancer, of which Health Canada states there is no evidence.  Note also that most of the literature available, even the Health Canada 2005 "update" is based upon surveys conducted in the '70s and '80s, and some even earlier than that.  The paper published by the CATO institute in 1999 is actually quite current, in terms of publicly available information on radon.

I regret that I cannot be of more help to you, but given that I am not a scientist or environmental expert, I can only refer you to documents published by authoritative sources and cannot offer any personal opinions on the effects of radon gas in the home.

Try the search terms < radon gas canada > for more online documents relating to this matter.

Best regards,

Gil Strachan

NOTE:  While every reasonable effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information posted herein, this contents of this article are only intended to be general summary information to the public.  The information provided is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations, nor should it be considered as a qualified scientific or medical opinion.  

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RELATED RESOURCES:
Health Canada
Visit the EPA Website
WHO: World Health Organization