Radon Testing and Detection Services

Radon Gas is a hidden health risk in many Canadian homes. Somewhere around 25% of homes surveyed in Ontario from 2009-2013 had concentrations of radon gas that were above safety guidelines issued by the World Health Organization - but if you were to poll your neighbours, how many would know about radon gas? Recent awareness campaigns have sought to educate us about radon gas and its danger to our health, but most Canadians are still unaware of radon gas, and how radon testing can help you make your home a healthier and safer place to be.

Signs of Radon Gas in Your Property

Because radon gas is colourless, odourless, and invisible, radon detection using your senses or physical clues is impossible, which is why having a professional test is so important. In general, all homes can be affected by radon gas, since detecting uranium deposits in the earth is challenging and invasive. Many regions of Southern Ontario are built in areas with naturally high concentrations of uranium that put whole neighbourhoods at increased risk.

If you’re curious about radon testing your home, several things may indicate radon is coming into your home, namely features like:

Cracks or gaps in your foundation.
Natural stone features such as flooring or countertops may contain trace amounts of uranium.
Well water in a high-radon location.
Basements with natural soil flooring or rooms with earth walls.
Homes built on rocky land.

What is Radon Gas?

If this is the first you’ve ever heard of radon, you’re not alone. You’ve never smelled it, seen it, or tasted it, even though you’ve likely come across it. Radon is a radioactive gas that’s found naturally in the environment and is formed when uranium buried deep in the earth breaks down. Usually, radon gas makes its way up through the soil and rocks and disperses into the atmosphere, but it can collect in homes and businesses, which is when it can start causing serious health problems. The risk of radon gas varies geographically, but since there are no safe exposure levels, testing for radon is critically important for long-term health.

How Does Radon Affect Your Health?

Radon is a known carcinogenic and is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smoking Canadians. If you’re also a smoker, your risk increases exponentially - Health Canada suggests that 1 in 3 people who smoke and are exposed to high levels of radon will develop cancer.

The risk of cancer from radon exposure is long term and depends on three different factors: the level of radon, how long your exposure is, and what your smoking habits are. Cancer that develops from radon exposure typically takes many years or decades to appear, but in some people, like children or those with existing lung conditions, that timeline may be shorter.

Do You Need Radon Testing Services

Professional testing becomes even more critical without concrete visual or physical clues that your home is affected by radon gas. At SafeAir, we recommend people have their home tested for radon gas if:

You’ve just moved into a new home.

You are planning on a basement renovation.

You have children or elders in your home.

You have basement tenants or a granny flat.

Your foundation has cracks or damage.

You live in an area with known radon issues.

Members of your family have chronic lung disease or an increased lung cancer risk.

At SafeAir, our radon testing service involves a passive device that monitors your home for 3-6 months, a time frame that evens out spikes caused by weather, environment, or anomalies. This extended testing period is critical — we want to be sure our results are as accurate as possible, given the severity of long-term exposure.

While there are plenty of DIY testing kits available, placement is vital for accurate and reliable radon detection; misplacement by a door or too close to the furnace, for example, can throw off results. This is why we always recommend having professional radon testing — the slight increase in cost could be the difference between an accurate result and accidental exposure. In Ontario, radon gas levels above 200 Bq/m3 need mitigation measures to reduce your risk.

Signs of Radon Exposure

One of the most dangerous aspects of radon gas is that the signs of radon exposure are difficult to tell apart from other common experiences, like seasonal allergies or a cold or flu. Radon testing is the only way to know if radon gas exists in your home, because symptoms may not appear for many years. An indoor air quality assessment will allow you to determine whether the following symptoms are caused by radon gas:

Gasping or shortness of breath

Coughing of wheezing

Chest tightness

Sore throat

If you have any of these symptoms, it’s time to book radon testing with the SafeAir team to learn more about what’s happening in your indoor environment. Once we have your indoor air quality assessment results, SafeAir can help you find the best way forward to making your home safe and healthy.

How Can SafeAir Help Remove Radon Gas?

SafeAir offers home radon tests that can help you determine whether or not your home is at risk. These tests are non-invasive and generally happen over the course of a few months, since radon can fluctuate with the seasons. If your home has high levels of radon gas, there are a number of different mitigation strategies you can do that can reduce your risk and prevent radon from accumulating indoors.

Expert Radon Testing in Toronto with SafeAir

The SafeAir team has been helping families across the GTA with radon testing for over a decade. Accurate and reliable radon detection takes a bit of skill and understanding about how air moves and collects in a home — and we’re experts in the indoor environment! Extensive training in the latest research on radon detection, as well as modern safety standards and building codes, results in our staff being highly accurate, clean, and knowledgeable.