Radon action guide for municipalities: Outreach, testing and government operations
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Education and awareness
A key component of addressing radon is ensuring that people know that it's a health risk and have the tools to act to remedy it. Many government agencies in Canada and around the world have radon education programs, information portals and outreach resources, including municipalities.
Web pages
Canada (federal)
Canada (provincial and territorial)
- Public Health Ontario
- Cancer Care Ontario, Risk of Residential Radon Varies Geographically
- Health Link BC
- Manitoba Health
- Environment and Climate Change, Nova Scotia
Canada (municipal and regional)
- Algoma Public Health
- Chelsea, Quebec
- Edmonton, Alberta
- Grey Bruce Public Health
- Guelph, Ontario
- Hamilton Public Health
- Niagara Falls, Ontario
- Peterborough Public Health
- Regina, Saskatchewan
- Toronto, Ontario
International
- Public Health England
- European Radon Association
- US Environmental Protection Agency
- Ireland Environmental Protection Agency
Local government resolutions on radon
Educational programs can be strengthened by broad resolutions, such as legislation and declarations recognizing November as Radon Action Month in Canada.
Canadian guidance and protocols on testing and mitigation
Guides for the general public on radon testing and mitigation
- Testing for Radon (C-NRPP)
- Steps to Reduce Radon (C-NRPP)
- Reducing Radon (Take Action on Radon)
- Testing for Radon (Take Action on Radon)
- Radon - Reduction Guide for Canadians (Health Canada)
Technical guidance and studies on testing and mitigation
- Summary Report on Active Soil Depressurization (ASD) Field Study (Health Canada)
- Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes - Final Report (Health Canada)
- Residential Radon Mitigation Actions Follow-Up Study: Public Summary (Health Canada)
- Guide for Radon Measurements in Residential Dwellings (Homes)(Health Canada)
- Radon control options for new construction in low-rise residential buildings. CAN/CGSB-149.11-2019 (Canadian General Standards Board)
- Radon mitigation options for existing low-rise residential buildings. CAN/CGSB-149.12-2017 (Canadian General Standards Board)
- Guide for Radon Measurements in Public Buildings (Workplaces, Schools, Hospitals, Day Cares, Hospitals, Care Facilities, Correctional Centres) (Health Canada)
Testing, databases and mapping
Testing as awareness
- Take Action on Radon 100 Test Kit Challenge. This Health Canada supported campaign distributes 100 test kits to approximately 20 communities per year.
- Yukon Radon Awareness Campaign. The Yukon Housing Corporation, in partnership with Yukon Lung Association, Health Canada, and Yukon Health and Social Services delivered a radon awareness campaign that included free radon kits and testing in remote communities.
- Donna Schmidt Lung Cancer Prevention Society. In British Columbia, this non-profit, volunteer driven society provides radon test kits through the library offices of the Regional District of Central Kootenay in Creston, Nakusp and Nelson.
Community testing initiatives
These initiatives aim to assess radon prevalence in a community through sample testing of homes and other buildings (ranging from approximately 400 to 1100 tests depending on community characteristics). They also improve awareness.
- Ontario Health Units, in support of policy changes related to building codes. Examples include:
- BC Lung Foundation, Radon Community Testing: BC Municipalities and Regional Districts
Citizen science projects
- Simon Fraser University Citizen Science Project for Radon Gas
- Evict Radon (includes significant public education and outreach materials)
Database and mapping initiatives
Public maps in Canada
- Nova Scotia Radon Map
- Health Canada Radon Map
- C-NRPP Radon Database and Map
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Interactive Radon Map
International examples
- EPA Map of Radon Zones
- United Kingdom Maps of Radon
- WHO Existence of National Radon Map
- Radon in the soil and air in Germany (German Federal Office for Radiation Protection)
- Connaître le potentiel radon de sa commune (République Française. Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire)
Other maps, data sets and working groups
- Canadian Radon Mapping Working Group
- Radon and Thoron Data from Canadian Homes
- United Kingdom Radon Data: Radon Potential Dataset
- Radon Environmental: Mapping Radon Risk (for purchase)
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control BC Radon Data Repository
Library lending programs
Alberta
- Red Deer Public Library
- Edmonton Public Library
- Marigold Library System
- Strathmore Municipal Library
- Parkland Regional Public Library
British Columbia
- Kootenay's Library Federation
- Okanagan Region Libraries
- North Shore and Sunshine Coast Libraries
- Thompson-Nicola Region Libraries
Nova Scotia
Ontario
- Hamilton Public Library
- Thunder Bay Public Library
- Essex County Public Library
- Saul Ste. Marie Public Library
Prince Edward Island
Health Canada has a Radon Library Lending Program Guide available on request.
Email: radon@hc-sc.gc.ca
Government operations and social housing
Testing of government occupied buildings
The federal government has completed a report on Radon Testing in Federal Buildings.
Examples of radon testing of government buildings at the provincial level:
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Prince Edward Island
- Environment and Labour Annual Accountability Report for the Fiscal Year 2007-2008 12 (Nova Scotia)
CARcinogen EXposure (CAREX) Canada's, 2017 Radon in schools: A summary of testing efforts across Canada documents radon testing across Canada. All public schools have been tested in:
- New Brunswick
- Nova Scotia
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
Some schools have been tested in:
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Northwest Territories
- Ontario
Testing and mitigation in social housing
- Quebec Housing Corporation (SQH) initiated a pilot project in Gaspésie in 2014, with a follow up on all social housing being tested and mitigated.
- The Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George participated in a radon testing program in 2014. Of 137 social housing units tested, 36 were above Guidelines and then mitigated.
- In 2015 Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation committed to testing and mitigation.
- Manitoba Housing's Design Guidelines for Multi-Unit Affordable and Social Housing (November, 2017) include provisions for radon control.
- In 2019 Yukon Housing Corporation reported all units being tested for radon and mitigation to be completed by 2020.
Kingston, Ontario
In Kingston, Ontario, the local health authority (KFL&A Public Health) approached the City of Kingston and housing providers concerning testing social housing units, as part of broader radon testing initiatives. KFL&A Public Health organized the testing of the units, including hiring staff to place and pick up the detectors, and the City offered to pay the cost of radon mitigation.
KFL&A staff used a sampling strategy focusing on ground floor and basement units. They sampled 1135 units leading to 923 detectors being analyzed (212 detectors were lost to follow-up). Of the 923 detectors analyzed, 27 were above HC's limit of 200 Bq/m3. As of publication, 18 of 27 have been mitigated.
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