Where is radon highest in Ontario?
Open [5] Close [5] The 3 Ontario public health units that had the highest percentage of homes with radon concentrations of 100 Bq/m³ or greater were Windsor-Essex County (44.1%); Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District (41.7%); and Chatham-Kent (39.8%).
WHO recommended radon levels?
The most noteworthy recommendation of the 2009 WHO Handbook On Indoor Radon – A Public Health PerspectiveExit Exit EPA website is that country reference levels for radon should be set at 2.7 pCi/L (picocuries per liter), if possible, or as-low-as-reasonably-achievable, or ALARA, but should not exceed 8.1 pCi/L.
How common is radon in Ontario?
Overall, Health Canada estimates that approximately 7% of homes have high levels of radon. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking, accounting for 16% of lung cancer deaths, or 3,200 deaths in Canada, annually.
Does Toronto have radon?
An estimated seven per cent of buildings in Toronto, including homes, workplaces and schools, have levels of radon that may pose a health risk but there is no way to predict which buildings have high levels.
How long does it take for radon to affect you?
Radon gas can damage cells in your lungs, which can lead to cancer. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States, though it usually takes 5 to 25 years to develop.
How serious is radon in a home?
Radon is a radioactive gas emitted naturally from the ground. However, when radon gets trapped indoors—after entering a home through joints in walls, basement floors, foundations and other openings—it may concentrate at dangerous levels. And exposure to high levels of radon can cause lung cancer.
Where is radon highest in Canada?
Radon is a naturally-occurring colourless, odourless, tasteless gas that is radioactive. It occurs naturally throughout Canada, however there are some regions where it is more prevalent, such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and parts of British Columbia and Quebec.
What areas of Canada have high radon levels?
The data obtained by CBC News shows that the five highest results in the country were found in:
- Armstrong Station, Ont. (5,657 Bq/m3)
- Bas-Paquetville, N.B. (5,590 Bq/m3)
- Sparwood, B.C. (2941 Bq/m3)
- Gaspé, Que. (2,923 Bq/m3)
- Gooderham, Ont. (2,741 Bq/m3).
How do you eliminate radon?
Active subslab suction — also called subslab depressurization — is the most common and usually the most reliable radon reduction method. One or more suction pipes are inserted through the floor slab into the crushed rock or soil underneath. They also may be inserted below the concrete slab from outside the home.