Just days remain until the 2026 annual radon symposium hosted by CARST (Canadian Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists) and the CRPA (Canadian Radiation Protection Association). This year, we will be in Saskatoon to engage with radon experts, network, learn about new policies, promote growth, and acquire knowledge to apply best practices in the field. Looking forward to another fantastic week!
Testing season is still upon us, don't wait!
It’s a new year, and the testing season is still upon us — we recommend conducting a radon test for a minimum of three months, which will take you into March or April, just before you begin opening windows to let in that fresh spring air.
A long-term test provides an accurate picture of your average indoor radon levels, taking into account seasonal variations, which helps you make informed decisions about mitigation if needed.
Don’t wait — start your radon test today to take control of your indoor air quality and protect your home and family.
Doctors are seeing more non-smokers, especially women, with later-stage lung cancer
Excerpt from The Canadian Press, Nicole Ireland
“She's one of a growing number of non-smokers doctors are seeing with lung cancer. Although smoking remains the leading risk factor, the Canadian Cancer Society estimates about a quarter of lung cancer cases in the country are non-smokers.
In addition, more of those non-smokers are women than men and it's not clear why, said Jessica Moffatt, vice-president of programs and advocacy at the Lung Health Foundation.
"One of the theories is that potentially estrogen is doing something to perpetuate tumour growth, but it's all theories at this point," she said.
What scientists do know is that environmental factors contribute to lung cancer risk, especially radon gas.”
Radon Environmental and Radon Home Defence are pleased to announce their partnership to promote and distribute THE LID™, Backwater Basin Cover.
Radon Awareness Campaign | BCREA, BC Lung and Real Estate Foundation of BC
November is RADON ACTION MONTH, and the BC Real Estate Association, BC Lung Foundation, and Real Estate Foundation of BC have announced the launch of a collaborative Radon Gas Public Awareness Campaign. This campaign is designed to spread awareness and educate British Columbians about Radon Gas and its harmful health risks.
Learn more at radonkills.ca/bc
In The News: FVRD to continue residential radon testing despite only half of free kits being returned
Promising news, kudos to the FVRD for listening and taking swift action to get the message into the community; test for radon and take control of your indoor air quality and lung health!
**** Full Article from Fraser Valley Today written by Don Mitchell
CHILLIWACK — The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) has once again approved a potential $10,000 expenditure for a winter residential radon-testing program.
Despite only around half of the 500 test kits being returned to the region’s environmental services from a similar initiative this past year, the Regional and Corporate Committee has decided to renew the project.
With radon characterized as a potential health hazard by Fraser Health, the 90-day kits were distributed in late 2023 across municipal and electoral areas.
Health authorities previously stated that they didn’t have adequate test results for radon across the region.
Read Full Article, by Don Mitchell, Fraser Valley Today
CARST 2024 - Canada's 13th Annual Radon Conference
FVRD lobbies the BC Government for Radon Mitigation Funding. Article by Mike Vanden Bosch (Fraser Valley Today)
CHILLIWACK — “Following the release of radon test analyses that showed elevated levels of radon in Electoral Area H (Cultus Lake and Lindell) and Hope, Fraser Valley Regional District staff support an effort to buy 200 radon kits and lobby the BC government for funding to help residents with radon mitigation systems in their homes.
According to a FVRD staff report prepared by environmental services coordinator Elias Ross, radon is a colourless, odourless gas that is linked to the deaths of more than 3,000 Canadians each year. Radon is reported to be the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Radon gets naturally released into the environment from decaying radioactive materials in the earth.”
Read Full Article By Mike Vanden Bosch (Fraser Valley Today)
Radon Mitigation for Builders
Radon Mitigation System in Home Building
Every house contains some radon. Moreover, radon concentrations vary geographically and change at different times of the year.
Radon is present in every indoor environment, so it’s vital that homeowners must have their homes tested. Because long-term exposure to radon gas is harmful and can even lead to lung cancer.
Check out the Radon Potential Map of Canada Any home can have dangerous radon levels, regardless of geography.
How Does Radon Get into Home
Radon can seep into a home through soil, windows, cracks in foundation walls and floors, loose pipes fittings and support posts, floor drains and sump pumps, wall, floor joists, and even through your water facets! Concrete is porous, and radon is a gas. Therefore, that means it can penetrate through even the tiniest holes in a house.
Radon Mitigation System for Builders
There are three levels of radon reduction systems that builders can install into new construction.
Level 1 is a Rough-In for Active Soil Depressurization for Radon Reduction
Level 2- Full Passive Vertical Radon Stack
Level 3- Full Active Soil Depressurization
Level 1 radon - reduction system
Level 1 is a Rough-In for Active Soil Depressurization for Radon Reduction. A radon-reduction system's entrance point for radon and other soil gasses is a pipe that extends into a soil gas collector (typically gravel) beneath the foundation floor. The pipe finally comes to an end and is covered just above the slab.
This system is merely a rough-in, and if radon mitigation is needed, a fan system can be added. In order to reduce radon ingress, a membrane has also been placed beneath the concrete slab and is sealed to the foundation wall. The majority of provinces and territories have followed this strategy, according to CARST.
Also, it is essential to caulk any foundation cracks and joints as well as the areas near the sump pit, floor drains, and other pipes.
Level 2 - Full Passive Vertical Radon Stack
Level 2 is an extension of Level 1, where the pipe from Level 1 is extended up through space vertically and out through a wall to terminate outdoors. Provisions must be taken to ensure the pipe is properly sealed to ensure re-entrainment of radon does not occur. The system relies on naturally occurring pressure differentials generated by the stack effect to mitigate radon. This level is now being used in the BC building code.
Level 3- Full Active Soil Depressurization
System Level 3 uses the pipe from Level 2 and also includes a low wattage radon fan. The system relies on the radon fan to induce a pressure difference to exhaust soil gasses and radon from under the slab. Radon fans run continuously, and a system pressure monitor is installed for the monitoring of the system. This method has been shown to be highly effective at reducing radon concentrations in a building.
Many different products are available that can be used in the installation process of a radon reduction system. Radon Guard and Radon Block are the best choices to prevent radon from the beginning.
Radon Mitigation System - RADON GUARD™
Radon Guard® Insulation is a key component of any radon mitigation system. This code compliant replacement for code required 100mm layer of granular material under slab, is a 2 in 1 system that both insulates and protects interior spaces from radon gas for generations.
Radon Mitigation System - RADON BLOCK™
Radon Block® is the leading high performance radon blocking barrier membrane. It resists gas and moisture migration into the building envelope, providing superior protection from toxic and harmful chemicals. Evaluated as a code alternative solution CCMC 14024-R.
Contact us to discuss your radon mitigation options. With the proper radon mitigation system, radon levels can be reduced by more than 80% .
How Radon Block and Radon Guard work in an Active Soil Depressurization method
Radon Mitigation for Your Home
All about Radon and Radon Mitigation System for Homeowners
What is radon?
Radon is a radioactive gas created from the decay of uranium minerals present in rock, soil and water. You cannot see, taste or smell radon. Outdoors there is little danger as radon is diluted in the open air. Indoors, radon can be trapped and become concentrated in enclosed poorly ventilated spaces resulting in a significant increased health risk.
Radon is the leading environmental cause of lung cancer and the second-leading cause of lung cancer next to smoking. Radon-induced lung cancer is preventable, Health Canada’s take action guideline is 200bq/m3. If your home tests above this take action guideline, a mitigation system should be installed.
Check out the Radon Potential Map of Canada.
What is Radon Mitigation?
RADON MITIGATION is the process used to reduce radon gas concentrations in the home or in a building.
What is a Radon Test?
The radon test is a test to identify the level of radon in your home. A radon test can be done by a professional home inspector or by yourself using a radon test kit or the radon tester. Testing radon can be a DIY project. Besides, there is also radon testing equipment for inspectors.
A radon test identifies the radon level in your home so you can make an informed decision and take action if necessary. You can purchase a long-term radon detector and test yourself or hire a certified radon professional to test for you.
Do I need to test for radon?
All homes have some amount of radon, the question is how much. Since you cannot see, taste or smell radon, scientific testing is needed for detection. Testing for radon is an important part of assessing your Indoor Air Quality and should be taken seriously to protect the health of everyone who enters your home. High levels of radon can lead to a significant risk of lung cancer.
Radon Mitigation in Well Water
Some radon stays in the water, drinking water containing radon also presents a risk of developing internal organ cancers, primarily stomach cancer. Radon is only a concern in your water if your drinking water comes from a well (groundwater). Water from wells can have high radon concentrations because radon is relatively insoluble in water.
Water use releases radon into the indoor air and contributes to the total indoor airborne radon concentrations. Radon can be off gassed in the shower, kitchen sink and through the laundry. Radon can be removed from our water using an aeration system, this can significantly reduce the level of radon in your water. The Airwell radon system lowers radon levels in well water up to 99%.
Solve the problem of radon in well water before water enters the home. Radon reductions up to 99%.
How does radon gas enter your home
1 . Soil
2. Windows
3. Cracks in walls & floors
4. Loose pipe fittings & support posts
5. Floor drains & sump pumps
6. Wall & floor joints
7. Ground water
REM Teams Up With SunRADON In North America
March 22, 2023, Radon Environmental Management Corp (REM) and SunRADON LLC are excited to announce a new strategic partnership, which will strengthen and expand their offering of high-performance Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and radon measurement solutions, to prevent radon exposure and save lives.
"We are delighted to have entered into a Distribution Agreement with SunRADON, to exclusively supply the lüft® in Canada. We feel a total IAQ solution which includes radon is unique and brings value to the consumer and our commercial clients. We believe this will promote greater awareness of radon in Canada and will result in greater radon monitoring Canada-wide” said Alan Whitehead, REM President & CEO.
David Innes, REM Director of Sales, added "lüft from SunRADON is an established product in the United States and REM is very excited to bring it to the Canadian market. lüft is an IAQ monitor with Wi-Fi connectivity that provides detailed reports and feedback on radon, tVOC, eCO2, temperature, humidity, and air pressure. lüft is designed for both consumer and commercial applications and is meant for long term, continuous monitoring of these metrics for on-going piece of mind, of total IAQ. Its sleek and direct plug-in design, complete with Wi-Fi connectivity, makes it a great solution for monitoring homes, schools and workplaces and comes with a specialized non-tamper cover for these applications. lüft also can interconnect with hundreds of units, to continuously monitor large buildings easily on one dashboard and create total building reports.”
“We are thrilled to be working with REM to improve IAQ awareness across Canada. Radon is a silent killer but is completely manageable if detected and mitigated. We developed the lüft technology using our professional device technology, which has been in use and trusted by thousands of professional radon and building inspectors for over 35 years. We are excited to bring this proven and trusted technology to millions of Canadians who live and work in areas where radon is present” said Dr. Kai Wundke, SunRADON LLC CEO.
About REM
Radon Environmental is a building and environmental health sciences company focused on reducing public exposure to radon gas. REM provides innovative high-performance radon detection and mitigation solutions to treat radon in air and water. The company consults on radon education, mapping, testing and mitigation planning, with government organizations and the building and construction sector across North America. A strength of the company is its emphasis on strategic development to build strong partner and customer relationships.
For more information, visit radoncorp.com
About SunRADON
SunRADON provides market leading Radon Detection and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) solutions. Its mission is to advance the innovation, accuracy, reliability and affordability of Radon and Indoor Air Quality Monitors, to aid in the avoidance of radon-induced lung cancer and the attainment of healthy indoor air quality. SunRADON developed the first professional radon monitor for building inspections in 1987, and through continuous technology and customer satisfaction leadership, is trusted by thousands of professional radon and home inspectors worldwide. Our professional solutions also include wireless data uploading, remote electronic radon laboratory services, and state regulatory compliant quality control and reporting software. Our line of consumer products includes lüft, which utilizes the same proven radon monitoring technology as our professional solutions, but for the consumer market. lüft features a unique plug-in design with Wi-Fi connectivity, to measure and report on radon and IAQ metrics including tVOC, eCO2, temperature, humidity, and air pressure.
For more information, visit sunradon.com
Article - More than half the state’s groundwater has a 50% or higher probability of radon levels above what’s considered safe.
A new study lead by the U.S Geological Survey using public data to map the presence of radon and uranium in New Hampshire has concluded approximately half the areas groundwater likely has radon levels considered to be unsafe.
Full Article , Jeongyoon Han, nhpr.org
Back To Vegas For IBS
January 5, 2023 - Connect with us at IBS! Our team will be making a short stop in Vegas at the end of January for the NAHB International Builders' Show®. We will be showcasing the Airwell™ by Radon Environmental, with radon reductions up to 99%, this innovative technology mitigates radon in well water before it enters the home.
Stop by to meet our team and see the aeration system in action at booth SU1555!
