Radon Testing in Federal Buildings - Highlights

In late 2007 Health Canada began testing radon levels in federal buildings. The purpose of this project is to identify federal workplaces with radon levels above the Canadian Radon Guideline of 200 Bq/m³. This will allow federal employers and building managers to address the need for remediation, should it be necessary.

Health Canada provides the radon detectors and instructions on where to place them as well as the laboratory analysis and results. Each individual department or building manager is responsible for deploying detectors in the buildings and sending them back to Health Canada's National Radon Laboratory for analysis. All radon tests are conducted using long-term (3-month) radon detectors.

As of August 2020, approximately 3.6% of the federal buildings tested have average radon concentrations above the Canadian Guideline.

Canadian federal building owners or facility managers are welcome to contact Health Canada for information on radon testing at 613-954-6647 or hc.radon.sc@canada.ca.

Health Canada is working in partnership with a number of organizations to raise awareness about the risks from radon including the Canadian Lung Association, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Medical Association, and the Canadian Partnership on Children's Health and Environment.

Health Canada has developed a number of resources including brochures, factsheets and guides to help Canadians learn about radon and how to protect themselves and their family by testing and reducing the level, if necessary.