HEALTH CANADA CERTIFIED-RADON GAS TESTING/LAB SINCE 2008
RADON
We do radon testing in the following areas: Ottawa, Nepean, Barrhaven, Kanata, Carp, Stittsville, Orleans, Chelsea, Rockland, Carleton Place, Almonte, Kemptville, Gatineau, aylmer & Wakefield, PQ. Our Radon Gas Testing Service is provided by a C-NRPP & Health Canada certified radon gas testing Specialist & Lab with 17 years experience. We also provide a Radon Gas Testing service for various levels of government including the military.
NEW** Radon Videos
Reducing Radon in your home video http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/video/reducing-radon-reduire-eng.phpWatch
"The Surgeon General's Other Warning" World's 2nd leading cause of lung cancer. Cause of 15% of lung cancers Odorless and tasteless gas. Caused by the decay of soil and water. Radon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless radioactive gas and can be found at home, work, or your child's school - virtually anywhere in all Provinces & Territories! It can harm those most dear to you without any signs at all RADON GAS-THE SILENT KILLER !!!
Radon (Rn) is an inert, radioactive gas formed by the decay of radium which exists naturally in soil, rock and ground water. It is found in most soils, rocks and mineral deposits, especially in areas where there are uranium and phosphate deposits. It decays in days and changes to four short-lived radon progeny. Radon progeny are solids that often physically or chemically attach themselves to particulates. When inhaled, they are deposited along the respiratory tract.
Health Effects: The decay of progeny by alpha emission damages living tissue. Most lung concerns which are not causes by tobacco smoke (10% to 20%) are attributed to Radon progeny.
Sources The primary source of radon is the infiltration of radon-laden soil gas into the building through cracks or other faults in the building's substructure. The pressure difference (depressurization) causing this infiltration may result from stack and wind effects, improper combustion appliance venting or exhaust ventilation systems. Radon can come from building materials, such as concrete aggregate, stone fireplace, and gypsum board, or from water released into the air by heating, agitation or aeration in shower and kitchen areas. Source strength can vary widely from one home to another in the same area.
Detection: Radon gas is a serious carcinogen that has been found in homes throughout Canada. It originates from the natural decay of small amounts of uranium in soil and rock. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Increasing numbers of Canadian homeowners are having their houses tested for radon gas. Radon is a serious health issue in schools also. Radon gas levels in Ottawa, Orleans, Rockland & particularly in Kanata, Carp, Stittsville, Almonte, & Ashton have areas where radon is a known problem and the only way to know for sure that your home is safe from radon gas is to have it properly tested to make sure that it is below the current min radon level recommended by Health Canada which is still 30% higher than the EPA accepted safe radon level for indoor air quality in the United States. It is also twice the World Health Organization current recommended (100Bq/m3)safe long-term level for radon exposure.
Being colourless, odorless and tasteless, testing for radon gas is the only way that a homeowner can know if there is a radon gas problem. Houses being listed for sale in the United States currently need a radon test to show that the house is safe to live in.
More and more Canadian home buyers are now ordering a short-term radon test (48Hrs) as part of their home purchase offer. All Home should be tested for unsafe radon levels. New homes need to be tested to verify that radon reduction techniques "mitigation" have been successful and that the house is safe for occupancy.
Contact a Health Canada C-NRPP "Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program" certified radon testing specialist today, to have an assessment done on your home if you suspect that radon could be a health issue with your family.
Thank you for visiting and please feel free to copy and past this link in your email and send to all your family and friends so that they too can know the hidden dangers of radon gas.https://barrhavenhomeinspector.com/radon
BUYER BEWARE: Have your home tested for radon gas by a certified professional. You can get cheap "do it yourself" Charcoal radon test kits online or through retail outlets. These test kits are known to be very inaccurate in high winds or heavy rain and if you get a false reading, and sometimes they arrive back at the lab too late and you end up spending a $100 plus and end up with no results. You could also end up spending thousands of dollars for radon mitigation where there is not a radon problem or there may be a radon problem that your test doesn't catch, for a variety of reasons.
Is your family's health worth more to you, than the price of a piece of charcoal ? Radon Gas - You can’t see it. You can’t smell it. You can’t taste it. Radon, a Class A carcinogen, is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon comes from the radioactive breakdown of naturally occurring radium found in most Florida soils. As a gas in the soil, it enters buildings through small openings in the foundation. Since the building can hold the radon similarly to smoke trapped under a glass, indoor radon concentrations can increase to many times that of outdoor levels. Radon is a cancer causing radioactive gas. You cannot see smell or taste radon but it may be a problem in your home. This radioactive gas is produced in most rock or soil. As a result all houses have some radon as does the outdoor air. Radon can easily pass through any material that has pores or void spaces through which gases can move.
Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smoker's and 2nd leading cause in smokers, and kills more people every year than drunk drivers.
A home with elevated radon levels of 148 Bq/M3 is exposed to approximately 35 times as much radiation as the nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow if that family was standing next to the fence of a radioactive waste site.Radon gas can enter the home through cracks and gaps in the homes walls and floors and around service pipes that enter the home. It can enter through sump pits and plumbing penetrations in the home. The radon level in the home is always fluctuating. When the indoor air pressure is lower than the outside air pressure, radon and other soil gasses will be sucked into the home like a vacuum. Any time the furnace or air conditioning is running, it creates a negative air pressure in the home. Weather can also affects radon levels in the home too. Weather related conditions of high winds, the ground soaked with heavy rains, or snow covered ground, can cause more radon gas to enter the homes living areas.
Testing is the only way to know your homes radon levels. There are no immediate symptoms that will alert you to the presence of radon. It typically takes years of exposure before any problems surface. The US EPA, Surgeon General , American Lung Association, American Medical Association, and the National safety council recommend testing your home for radon because testing is the only way to know your homes radon levels. Home’s with elevated radon levels can be fixed. It is recommend that a professional mitigation company be consulted and radon testing be performed again to check the post-mitigation radon levels are safe . The cost for the mitigation can vary depending on the method but it usually costs between $2000.00 and $3000.00. We are currently offering a single short term radon test of your Ottawa area home for the discounted price of only $100.00 plus HST when booked to be tested during the home inspection or $150.00 plus HST for the regular 3-month long- term Radon gas test For further information and consulting or to schedule a radon test for your home please contact:Neil Card
Barrhaven Home Inspectors Inc.
Ottawa, Ontario
613) 823-8844
"C-NRPP Health Canada Certified Radon Gas Testing Specialist" "ESA Trained & Certified Radon Gas Tester""IAC2 Certified Radon Inspector "Neil Card has also a graduate of the NEHA-NRPP "National Environmental Health Association“ course for radon testing and is a current certified member of C-NRPP & NEHA which is Canada's highest level of achievement for radon testing that is also currently recognized by Health Canada as being a qualified Radon Gas Testing specialist.
Barrhaven Home Inspectors, Ottawa uses the E-Perm system from Rad Elec Inc., which is the preferred and most accurate radon testing system available, and is recommended by the Quebec Lung Association. The minimum time frame required for a radon test is 48 hrs. Printed report to be emailed at completion of test. This means no extended waiting time for test results from a lab like other radon testing methods.The American Association of Radon Scientists & Technologists
Press Release
ATTENTION: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION LAUNCHES NEW ATTACK ON LUNG CANCER
ST. LOUIS (9/21/2009) - In simultaneous releases published around the globe today, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for stronger action against indoor radon, the leading cause of lung cancer among U.S. and Canadian non-smokers. The central WHO recommendation is to lower radon gas levels by one-third below the current U.S. guidance. The lower WHO action level doubles the number of U.S. homes needing radon control systems from 8 million to 15 million.According to Bill Angell, President of the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST),
The WHO recommendations more strongly emphasize the importance of radon testing by all home owners and home buyers and reduction of high concentrations of the radioactive gas." Speaking from the 2009 International Radon Symposium, Angell adds, "The World Health Organization's strong stand is based upon new evidence of the risk posed by toxic radon." The new WHO Handbook on Indoor Radon: A Public Health Perspective lists the consensus of scientists from more than 30 countries that radon in homes is responsible for about one of every seven lung cancer deaths in countries such as the U.S and Canada.
Currently 21,000 Americans die each year from radon induced lung cancer.In the handbook, WHO recommends a threshold of action of 2.7 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), or 100 becquerels per cubic meter of air (Bq/m3) a measure of radioactivity. Health Canada's recommended safe radon level is currently at 200 Bq/m3, which is double the amount of safe radon gas exposure that is recommended by the WHO "World Health Organization"The new threshold contrasts with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) level of 4 pCi/L or 148 Bq/m3; an action level that has been in place for 40 years.
In addition to testing, the WHO handbook notes that indoor radon is the result of the way we design and build homes. Thus, WHO places clear responsibility for radon exposure on architects, builders, and real estate professionals and urges radon control system in new homes and testing homes for sale. Elevated indoor radon may be inexpensively fixed or prevented through radon control systems installed by certified or licensed radon professionals.
For more information:
Government of Canada Radon Guideline:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/radiation/radon/guidelines_lignes_directrice-eng.phpWHO Handbook on Indoor Radon: A Public Health.
WHO places clear responsibility for radon exposure on architects, builders, and real estate professionals and urges radon control system in new homes and testing homes for sale.Elevated indoor radon may be inexpensively fixed or prevented through radon control systems installed by certified or licensed radon professionals. For more information on Radon Mitigation Services,
contact: Rob Mahoney at Radon Works 613-799-5983 www.radonworks.com