Manitoba Health
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Radon
Download a print fact sheet with the information below 
- What is radon?
- What are the Health Canada guideline levels of indoor radon?
- How does radon enter a building?
- If radon levels are above the Health Canada guideline, will people get cancer?
- What are the levels of radon in Manitoba?
- How can I find out the radon level in my home?
- How do I test the radon levels in my home?
- How can I reduce the levels of radon in my home?
- What is the Manitoba government building survey?
- Where can I get more information?
What is radon?
Radon is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas found naturally in the environment. It comes from uranium as it breaks down in soil and rocks. Since radon is a gas, it can easily move through the soil and enter the air we breathe. When radon enters homes and buildings, it can reach levels that may pose a risk to health.
What are the Health Canada guideline levels of indoor radon?
Radon is measured in Becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3), which is a measure of radioactivity. Health Canada recommends that the average annual level of radon in the air in a normal living area should be 200 Bq/m3 or less. Radon levels can change from season to season and even day to day in the same room or space. The average level found over a year of monitoring is the Health Canada guideline value used to measure indoor radon. The guideline of 200 Bq/m3 or less is meant for areas of the home where someone spends more than four hours per day on an ongoing basis.
How does radon enter a building?
Radon gas can enter a building through cracks or gaps in the walls and foundation. Generally, radon levels are highest in the basement. Occasionally higher levels can be found on other floors. Radon levels can vary from building to building, or even room to room.
If radon levels are above the Health Canada guideline, will people get cancer?
The risk from radon exposure is long term and is associated with the level of radon, how long a person is exposed and their smoking habits.
According to Health Canada, exposure to high levels of radon can increase your risk for lung cancer, especially in people who smoke. No other health effects have been shown to be associated with exposure to radon in indoor air.
For example, it has been estimated that a smoker exposed to radon levels of 200 Bq/m3 for 70 years has a 17 per cent lifetime chance of developing lung cancer, compared to two per cent for a non-smoker. The risk for a smoker exposed to radon levels of 800 Bq/m3 over the same time period increases to 30 per cent, compared to five per cent for the non-smoker at 200 Bq/m3.
| Radon Level | Lifetime Probability of Getting Lung Cancer | |
| Smoker* | Base Level | 12% |
| Smoker | 200 Bq/m3 | 17% |
| Smoker | 800 Bq/m3 | 30% |
| Non-Smoker | Base Level | 1% |
| Non-Smoker | 200 Bq/m3 | 2% |
| Non-Smoker | 800 Bq/m3 | 5% |
| (Source: Health Canada. 2006. Report of the Radon Working Group on a New Radon Guideline for Canada). * Base level is outdoor level or no exposure to radon |
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Anyone who has health concerns about radon exposure should contact their health care provider or call Health Links-Info Santé at 1-888-315-9257.
For information and resources for quitting smoking visit: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/
tobac-tabac/quit-cesser/index-eng.php
What are the levels of radon in Manitoba?
In Manitoba, like other areas of Canada and the rest of the world, the natural radioactivity of the soil varies from region to region. Radon levels may also vary within one region.
Historically, Manitoba has had higher radon values in buildings than national averages. Studies in Winnipeg homes have shown that 15 to 25 per cent of homes had concentrations above the present guideline of 200 Bq/m3. Health Canada’s most recent survey indicated that 23.5 per cent of homes in Manitoba were above the guideline.
Smoking contributes to the vast majority of lung cancer cases in Manitoba and poses more of a risk than exposure to radon gas. Each year, over 600 deaths from lung cancer occur in the province. Manitoba’s lung cancer rates are not greater than the national average. According to Health Canada, 12 to 36 lung cancer deaths per year could be prevented by reducing radon levels to 200 Bq/m3 per year in Manitoba.
How can I find out the radon level in my home?
Health Canada recommends homes be tested for a minimum of three months, ideally during the winter (ex: October to April) when indoor radon levels are generally highest. Since radon levels inside a home vary over time, test measurements gathered over a longer period of time give a more accurate measure of the annual average radon concentration.
How do I test the radon levels in my home?
The test area should be on the lowest floor of the home where people usually spend more than four hours per day. For some, this may be a finished basement, for others it may be the ground floor of a home. Areas of the home where people spend less than four hours per day do not need to be tested.
There are businesses that sell radon detectors to homeowners so they can test for radon in their home. These devices test the air in the home for a specific period of time, and are then returned to the company for analysis. The cost of these devices generally ranges between $50 and $100 dollars. Other companies will charge to send a trained technician to a customer’s home to do the testing, interpret the result and make further recommendations if indicated.
For more information on radon testing, visit www.healthcanada.gc.ca/radon or call (204) 983-5490.
How can I reduce the levels of radon in my home?
The best way to reduce the levels of radon in your home is to control its source and to ventilate the space.
Radon that is rising from the ground into a home can be reduced by caulking and sealing cracks and holes in basement floors and walls as well as sealing around pipes and drains. Other methods to reduce radon levels are:
- installing specially designed traps in floor drains to prevent radon from entering a basement
- increasing mechanical ventilation via a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) to allow air exchanges; and
- ventilating the basement sub-floors through the installation of a small pump to draw the
radon from below the concrete slab to the outside.
Health Canada states that active soil depressurisation performed by a contractor is the most common method of reducing radon levels.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has a document that addresses measuring and reducing radon levels available by calling 1-800-668-2642 or at www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/
61945.pdf?lang=en.
What is the Manitoba government building survey?
The Manitoba government is conducting a survey of radon levels in government buildings, including schools, housing units and offices to gather information that will help guide radon management strategies. Results of the survey will be made available once the assessments are complete and
building occupants have been notified.
Where can I get more information?
See the Health Canada website:
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/radiation/radon/index-eng.php
| For more information: |
| Environmental Health Public Health and Primary Health Care Manitoba Health 4th Floor - 300 Carlton St. Winnipeg MB R3B 3M9 CANADA Phone: (204) 788-6735 Fax: (204) 948-2040 |
