Radon is one of those home safety issues many people do not think about until they have a reason to.
Maybe a neighbour had high radon levels. Maybe a home inspector mentioned it. Maybe you saw a radon mitigation sign on a nearby lawn. Or maybe you are just starting to learn about indoor air quality and want to understand what risks could be present in your home.
According to Health Canada’s radon information for homeowners, radon is invisible, odourless, and tasteless. You cannot see it, smell it, or taste it. But in some homes, it can build up to levels that matter for long-term health.
For Manitoba homeowners, radon is worth understanding because it is not limited to one type of house, one neighbourhood, or one age of home. A newer home can have elevated radon. An older home can have elevated radon. A finished basement, crawl space, or slab-on-grade foundation can all be affected.
The good news is that radon is manageable. The first step is simple: test your home.
What Is Radon?
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that forms when uranium breaks down in soil and rock.
Uranium exists naturally in the ground in many parts of Canada. As it breaks down over time, it produces radon gas. Outdoors, radon usually disperses into the air and is not a concern. The issue happens when radon moves from the soil into a building and becomes trapped indoors.
Because radon is a gas, it can move through small openings in and around a home’s foundation. Once inside, it can accumulate, especially in lower areas of the home where air movement is more limited.
This is why radon is considered an indoor air quality issue. It is not something caused by poor housekeeping, visible damage, or a dirty home. It is related to the ground beneath and around the home, the home’s construction, and how air moves through the building.
How Does Radon Get Into a Home?
Radon typically enters a home from the soil below and around the foundation.
As air moves inside a house, it can create a slight pulling effect that draws soil gas into the home. Health Canada explains that radon can enter buildings through cracks in foundations, construction joints, gaps around pipes, and other openings.
Radon can enter through very small openings, including:
- Cracks in concrete floors
- Cracks in foundation walls
- Gaps around pipes
- Sump pits
- Floor drains
- Construction joints
- Crawl spaces
- Gaps around service penetrations
- Openings in or around the basement slab
Many homeowners assume radon is only a basement problem. While radon often enters through lower areas of a home, the air in a house moves. That means radon can affect the indoor air quality throughout the living space.
Radon can also be present in many different types of homes. A home does not need to be old, damaged, or poorly built to have elevated radon levels.
Radon can affect:
- Finished basements
- Unfinished basements
- Crawl spaces
- Slab-on-grade homes
- New homes
- Older homes
- Renovated homes
- Homes with or without visible foundation cracks
This is one reason testing is so important. You cannot accurately judge radon risk by looking at the home from the outside.
Why Is Radon a Health Concern?
Radon exposure is a long-term indoor air quality issue.
Radon is a serious long-term indoor air quality risk and one of the leading causes of lung cancer among non-smokers. Health Canada identifies long-term radon exposure as a lung cancer risk, and the Canadian Cancer Society also recognizes radon as an important environmental cancer risk.
The concern is not from briefly walking through a home or spending a short amount of time in a room with radon. The health concern is connected to long-term exposure over time. When radon is breathed in, radioactive particles can affect lung tissue. The higher the level and the longer the exposure, the greater the concern.
Health Canada has established a Canadian radon guideline of 200 Bq/m³ for indoor air. Bq/m³ means becquerels per cubic metre, which is the unit used to measure radon concentration in air.
If a home’s long-term radon level is above 200 Bq/m³, Health Canada recommends taking action to reduce the level.
This guideline helps homeowners understand when mitigation should be considered. It does not mean levels below 200 Bq/m³ are completely risk-free, but it does provide a clear action point for Canadian homes.
Why Should Manitoba Homeowners Care?
Radon matters in Manitoba because radon risk depends heavily on local soil, geology, home construction, and ventilation.
Some areas have more radon potential than others because of the natural materials in the ground. Since radon comes from soil and rock, the land beneath a home plays a major role in whether radon may be present.
Manitoba’s climate can also contribute to indoor radon concerns.
During cold winters, homes are usually sealed up tightly to keep heat inside. Windows stay closed, ventilation may be reduced, and warm indoor air rises through the home. As warm air moves upward and escapes through upper parts of the house, the home can pull replacement air from lower areas, including from the soil around the foundation.
In simple terms, a house can act a bit like a straw. When indoor air rises and escapes, the home may draw air in from below. If the soil gas beneath the home contains radon, that radon can be pulled indoors through cracks, gaps, drains, sump pits, or other openings.
This does not mean every Manitoba home has high radon. It does mean Manitoba homeowners should take radon seriously enough to test. Take Action on Radon’s Manitoba page notes that radon concentrations can differ from house to house and region to region, and that every region in Canada has some homes with high levels.
Can You Tell If a Home Has Radon Without Testing?
No. You cannot tell if a home has radon without testing.
Radon has no smell. It has no colour. It has no taste. It does not leave a visible stain, create an obvious sound, or cause a clear warning sign inside the home.
You also cannot rely on a neighbour’s result to know your own.
Two homes on the same street can have very different radon levels. One home may test high while another nearby home tests lower. Differences in foundation construction, soil conditions, ventilation, air pressure, and entry points can all affect the result.
Common assumptions can also be misleading.
A new home can have high radon.
An older home can have low radon.
A finished basement can have radon.
A home without a basement can still have radon.
A clean, well-maintained home can still test high.
The only reliable way to know your home’s radon level is to test. Health Canada’s guidance is clear that because radon is invisible, odourless, and tasteless, testing is the only way to know the radon level in your home.
What Should Manitoba Homeowners Do Next?
The best first step is to get informed and test your home.
Learning about radon is helpful, but testing is what gives you real information about your specific house. Without a test, everything else is only a guess.
A radon test measures the radon level in your home over a set period of time. Long-term testing is often recommended because radon levels can change from day to day and season to season. A longer test gives a better picture of the home’s average radon level.
Once you have results, you can decide what to do next.
If the result is low, you have useful peace of mind. If the result is elevated, radon mitigation can usually reduce the level significantly. Health Canada’s Radon Reduction Guide for Canadians explains that active sub-slab depressurization is the most common and reliable radon reduction technique used by C-NRPP certified professionals.
RadonPatrol provides professional radon testing and mitigation services for Manitoba homeowners. Our goal is to make the process straightforward, explain your options clearly, and help you make an informed decision without pressure.
