Why is Radon a Problem in USA & Canada?
Radon gas is cancer-causing radioactive, invisible, odourless and tasteless in water and air, and we are surrounded by it without knowingat all times at some level. It is present in every breath you take, hopefully in very, very small quantities, but then how do we know? Radon becomes a health concern for humans when we are exposed to it in higher concentrations, and asmodern higher performance housing designprovides a relatively airtight environment we are exposed to much higher levels than in the drafty homes of the past. In North America, combined figures from theEPAandHealth Canadaindicate thataround 25000 people die directly from accumulative Radon exposure per year- and even more worryingly that in Canadaonly around 6% of homes have actually been tested for Radon. The Canadian Home Builders' Association also say thatCanada's building codes designed to reduce radon in new homeshave"many unresolved issues which could result in severe and immediate health problems, and even death"
Radon, where does it come from & what is safe?
Radon gas is a by-product of decomposing uranium in rocks and soil北美所有地区的房屋都处于危险之中，因为建造房屋的岩石和土壤中总有一些。Choosing a basement instead of a slab-on-grade foundationcan also lead to the increased possibility of exposure to radon gas radiation, another reason where possible to在隔热板基础上建造。
In the USAthe EPA recommends that homeowners should take radon mitigation measures if the radon concentration exceeds 150 Bq / m3.Health Canadarecommends that any homeowners with concentrations exceeding 200 Bq / m3应采取行动降低氡水平，保障室内空气质量。一定要注意;this threshold does not mean that there is no health risk below 150-200 Bq / m3, which is why theWorld Health Organizationrecommends taking action to reduce radon levels if there's a level of over 100 becquerels /m3(Bq), which corresponds to 2.7 picocuries per liter (pCi/L).
加拿大卫生部对家庭中的氡浓度进行了为期两年的全国性调查，包括1.8万名参与者。他们的结论是，6.9%的加拿大人生活在氡浓度超过最大指南200 Bq / m3的家庭中。
所以每个家庭都应该检测氡吗?
Basically "Yes". The only way to know if a house has a high radon concentration is to have the air in your home tested, and there are two ways to go about that; you can purchase a do-it-yourself test kit online or perhaps through your local state or municipality, or you could contact a local radon-mitigation expert and have them conduct a test for you. New house or old house, regardless of what radon mitigation standards were installed when it was built (or not) - regardless of which area your home is in, the ONLY certain method of making sure you and your family aren't exposed to dangerous levels of this invisible radioactive gas is to test for it and then take action if it's found the levels are too high.
Below are links to help you have your air tested for radon gas concentrations, as well as techniques for radon prevention in new homes and mitigation techniques in existing homes that tested above safe levels.
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