Radon
How to Test for Radon
Testing for radon can be done with a do-it-yourself home test. The two types of home tests used to detect radon are short-term and long-term.
You may find radon detectors in some retail stores that sell building, hardware, or health care items or you can order them online. Check your local or regional yellow pages for companies that may sell these products or contact your local or provincial environmental office.
If you don't want to do the test yourself or if you are buying or selling a home, you can hire a qualified tester to do the testing for you. Check your local or regional yellow pages for companies that perform radon testing or contact your local or provincial environmental office for a list of qualified testers.
- The short-term test kit stays in your home or office for 2 to 90 days. Radon levels vary daily and from season to season. Therefore, you may want to follow up the first short-term test with a second to determine whether reduction in radon is needed.
- The long-term test kit stays in the home or office for more than 90 days. A long-term test will give more accurate results because radon levels can fluctuate from season to season.
These tests work by measuring average indoor levels of radon in your home or office. Radon is measured in units of radioactivity per volume of air. The most common measure used in Canada is becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m3). Health Canada recently proposed lowering the acceptable amount of radon in homes and buildings from 800 Bq/m3 to 200 Bq/m3. Most international guidelines recommend taking steps to lower radon if it is higher than 200 to 400 Bq/m3.3
 Go to previous section |  Go to top of page |  Go to next section |
| Author: | Douglas Dana Monica Rhodes | Last Updated: April 26, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine R. Steven Tharratt, MD, MPVM, FACP, FCCP - Pulmonology, Critical Care, Medical Toxicology | |
 | ||
