Why Radon Testing and Air Quality Testing Should be Done Together in Toronto Homes

Posted in Air Quality, on December 20, 2024

Air quality improvements in your home offer significant benefits and positive changes to your health and wellness. At SafeAir, we often suggest our clients add radon testing to their general environmental assessment to boost the effect of testing and ensure a healthy and safe air environment. Air quality testing in Toronto can help reduce the impact of allergens, alert you to toxic substances, and help you make improvements to your air environment that have lasting effects on health, sleep, skin and more. Radon gas isn’t generally included in air quality testing because it’s a longer-term, passive test that takes place over several months, while general air quality testing can be completed in a day or two. The benefits of adding this service on, however, can’t be underestimated! Read on for why SafeAir thinks radon tests are critical. 

The Importance of Radon Testing in Toronto Homes

First, the basics — what IS radon? Radon gas is a radioactive gas that enters the home through the ground or water. It tends to accumulate in enclosed spaces (often the basement) and can cause serious health risks when you experience long-term exposure. 

Radon gas is the second-most leading cause of lung cancer in Canada after tobacco smoking, making understanding your exposure critical. Like all radioactive particles, radon gas decays after some time, releasing a small burst of energy. When you breathe air with radon gas, these tiny particles burst in your lungs and respiratory system, causing inflammation and changes that lead to cancer. 

Radon is invisible, odourless, and challenging to detect without professional testing, making it impossible to determine if you’re being affected by using your physical senses. Radon is prevalent across Southern Ontario because of geological factors, making testing your GTA home essential. 

Why Air Quality Testing Matters

Once homeowners understand the risk of radon gas, testing is a logical conclusion. But why does air quality testing in Toronto matter? Many folks think that, as long as there are no strange smells, their home’s air environment must be healthy and safe. While this might be true, the reality is that a home’s air environment is subject to dozens of complex forces that come from the exterior, interior, and actions of you and your family. 

Some of the common things that air quality testing can detect include:

• Common pollutants from renovations and repairs, like VOCs, formaldehyde, and other chemicals
• Allergens like dust, dander, and pollen
• Carbon monoxide
• Mold growth

All of these cause health impacts that can seriously disrupt your health and well-being. SafeAir’s air quality testing services can identify specific issues and allow us to offer customized remedies and solutions with measurable outcomes. 

Benefits of Combining Radon and Air Quality Testing

Since safe and healthy air is the goal of air quality testing, adding radon testing to your general air quality assessment boosts your overall outcome by providing a comprehensive evaluation of your home’s air environment. 

Air quality testing generally takes a few hours to complete, but radon testing needs to take place over several months to account for natural fluctuations caused by weather and temperature. For a radon test, SafeAir installs a small device not dissimilar to a fire alarm in the lower level of your home. Without any annoying beeping or need to change the battery, this device passively samples the air for 3-6 months. Afterwards, it’s removed and sent away for analysis. 

Performing your air quality test and installing a radon testing device at the same time can have several benefits. If air quality issues are detected during your first test, we can reassess when we retrieve the radon test, reducing the number of times we visit. Proactive testing also helps you identify risks early before they start affecting your health. 

Why Choose SafeAir for Radon and Air Quality Testing

The team at SafeAir has been helping Torontonians with air quality testing and radon tests for over a decade, leading to expertise in both fields and an understanding of how problems like airflow can affect several systems. Specialization in air quality testing means we use technology and advanced testing protocols developed by and for industry leaders, resulting in more accurate results. We’re also deeply grateful for the trust our clients have placed in us from years of positive outcomes and safe, reliable service. 

If radon testing is something you might like to add to a booking for air quality testing in Toronto, contact the SafeAir team to arrange it today!

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