One-in-five homes tested nationwide have radon levels exceeding Health Canada’s guideline of 200 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³). The scale of the problem has been captured in six years’ worth of test results from 30,000 homes across Canada, believed to be the largest and most detailed body of results collected in this country.
Invisible Threat
Radon is an invisible, odourless radioactive gas that is naturally emitted from uranium in soil and enters homes, where it can concentrate. When radon is inhaled, it can damage DNA in the lungs and cause cancer. The carcinogen is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in Canada, estimated to be responsible for more than 3,000 deaths a year — more than from motor vehicle collisions.
The Investigative Journalism Bureau and the Toronto Star worked in collaboration with researchers with the University of Calgary and Evict Radon to obtain 30,000 test results from across the country.
Illustration by Aidan Lising
Growing number of Canadian households contain deadly levels of radon gas, national study finds
Exposure to deadly radon gas in Canadian homes continues to grow, according to a nationwide study conducted by University of Calgary researchers. Nearly 18 per cent of Canadian homes contain radon levels at or above Health Canada’s action guideline of 200 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³) for the carcinogenic gas, according to the national study.
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Toronto Star illustration
Canadian officials found radiation levels in these northern Ontario homes ‘well above’ the safe limit. Their response: ‘¯\_(ツ)_/¯’
The number of homes in Elliot Lake affected by buried radioactive waste could top 100 — twice as many as previously thought.
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Illustration by Aidan Lising
‘I thought I was safe’: Federal government’s radon advice creates a false sense of security
Health Canada’s radon guideline is 200 Bq/m³ while the WHO’s is 100 Bq/m³. The regulator defends its policy while a chorus of experts and cancer patients say a change would save lives.
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‘I thought I was safe’: Federal government’s radon advice creates a false sense of security
Reporter Masih Khalatbari discusses the IJB's recent investigation into the federal radon safety guideline and the impact it has on Canadians.
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Jennifer Carling stands outside her house in Elliot Lake, which was allegedly built on top of radioactive waste from nearby uranium mines.
Homeowners take feds to court over ‘radioactive’ waste
Three homeowners in Elliot Lake are taking the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to Federal Court over its recent decision to not order the removal of alleged radioactive waste from their properties.
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Jennifer Carling stands outside her house in Elliot Lake, which was allegedly built on top of radioactive waste from nearby uranium mines.
Radiation is homeowners’ problem, Canadian nuclear regulator says
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) says homeowners are responsible for dealing with the toxic effects of waste rock from nearby uranium mines that was allegedly used as infill on their properties.
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Lisa Speck's house outside of Elliot Lake was allegedly built on top of radioactive mining tailings from a nearby uranium mine. The mining company paid to install fans and venting in the 1970s, which have now stopped working, sending radiation levels soaring to dangerous levels. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/TANIA PEREIRA/SUBMITTED IMAGE
They thought they’d found an affordable place to live. They were never told about the radioactive mining waste
Recent testing at four houses in Elliot Lake reveal elevated levels of gamma radiation and concentrations of radon gas far exceeding safety guidelines. There could be up to 60 homes in the community currently on top of mine waste, documents allege.
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She found out she’d been breathing a cancer-causing gas for over a decade. So why won’t Canada’s health-care system let her get her lungs tested?
Canadians with documented levels of elevated radon in their homes are ineligible for publicly funded lung cancer screening, which is only for heavy smokers.
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Elizabeth Girling and Kurt Fisher outside their Calgary home, which was found to have the highest radon levels of 30,000 homes tested across Canada. TODD KOROL / TORONTO STAR
The invisible threat inside your home: Dangerous levels of radon gas are being found in more houses across Canada than ever before
Canada has some of the highest measured residential radon rates in the world, with an estimated new case of radon-induced lung cancer diagnosed each day in the hardest-hit provinces. One in five homes — 5,600 of the 30,000 tested nationwide — showed radon levels exceeding Health Canada’s guideline of 200 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³), according to data gathered by researchers from the University of Calgary collaborating with this investigation.
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No province in Canada requires that radon mitigation systems be installed in all new buildings. There are no provincially mandated requirements anywhere in the country to test for radon in houses. Graphic by Aidan Lising
How some Canadian communities are taking their own steps to address the risks of radon gas
While radon risks remain rarely discussed in most of Canada, some communities and public officials are taking unique steps to generate greater awareness and action.
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No province in Canada requires that radon mitigation systems be installed in all new buildings. There are no provincially mandated requirements anywhere in the country to test for radon in houses. Graphic by Aidan Lising
Does your home have dangerous levels of radon?
Declan Keogh, the IJB's senior report, goes onto The Big Story podcast to discuss the findings of our investigation into deadly levels of radon gas found in Canadian homes.
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