Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program certification- Measurement 201530-CRT - Mitigation 201694 CRMT
ORDER ONLINE HERE: Click this link to go to the Radon BC online store
Click here for Radon brochures and FAQ
Click here for Radon brochures and FAQ
C-NRPP certified testing available. Local lab reports, no waiting.
Seasonal adjustments may be required for long term non-winter testing.
Seasonal adjustments may be required for long term non-winter testing.
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The map above is based on underlying Uranium deposits.
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ACCUstar Alpha Track Test Kits in stock
Purchase one of these industry leading test kits to determine Radon levels in your indoor environment. $45.00 - purchase kit and test your home, free delivery or pick up in greater Vernon area $95.00 - detector placement and explanation, you mail in after 91 days $195.00 - full service detector placement for minimum 91 day test, detector retrieval, lab shipment and results report included or just click to the online store and order one with a credit card These easy to use kits are the best value for getting a recognized long term test (91-365 days) that meets national protocols for Radon gas measurement. The kit is all inclusive, except postage, and comes with everything you need to start / stop a test and mail in the supplied pre-addressed envelope 
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QUESTION OF THE MONTH: If Radon is heavier than air why do I place the test kit on the main floor? ANSWER: The testing protocol are designed to report on the environment you spend significant amounts of time in. If you only go into the basement once or twice a week for brief periods of time you may be missing risk factors in the environment you live in most of the time. Except for factors such as well water, Radon levels will usually decrease as you move up in a building. The fact is you can place as many detectors as you want wherever you want but C-NRPP and RadonBC recommends the major emphasis in mitigation decisions be environments where you spend 4 or more hours a day.
Already decided you want to have your home tested? (greater Vernon area)
RadonBC maintains an inventory of ACCUSTAR Alpha Track detectors. This type of test is the most common homeowner administered test. Or for $195.00 RadonBC will place an Alpha Track detector in your home or business, retrieve it after the appropriate testing period, 91-365 days, oversee the shipping to the accredited laboratory for analysis, and communicate the results with recommendations based on current Canadian standards. This testing program meets all standards for a recognized long term test (91-365 days). QUESTIONS??? mailto:dan@radonbc.ca or just call 250-549-0119
RadonBC maintains an inventory of ACCUSTAR Alpha Track detectors. This type of test is the most common homeowner administered test. Or for $195.00 RadonBC will place an Alpha Track detector in your home or business, retrieve it after the appropriate testing period, 91-365 days, oversee the shipping to the accredited laboratory for analysis, and communicate the results with recommendations based on current Canadian standards. This testing program meets all standards for a recognized long term test (91-365 days). QUESTIONS??? mailto:dan@radonbc.ca or just call 250-549-0119
Just getting started? The links below will allow you to compare Canada to other countries in terms of measurement criteria, recommended limits, and various forms of government involvement, regulation and recommendations. As you explore these and other links you will see that public awareness in Canada has a little catching up to do.
Of course there is the all-knowing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_radon
Of course there is the all-knowing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_radon
Canadian Radon info: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/radiation/radon_canadians-canadiens/index-eng.php
UK Radon info: http://www.ukradon.org/
UK Radon info: http://www.ukradon.org/
USA EPA Radon info: http://www.epa.gov/radon/
Watch this video!!!...this activity is a part of the universe you live in and the air you breathe
OK folks, now for the really big show. If you are a Radon doubter and don't believe that this invisible gas spits out Alpha particles then watch this video. Wilson Cloud Chambers are freezing cold spaces super saturated with evaporated alcohol. The alcohol condenses (vapor trail?) as the Alpha and Beta particles whiz about.
SPOILER ALERT (and possible clue) for the quiz below
SPOILER ALERT (and possible clue) for the quiz below
History Links: These websites will inform on how we came to be aware of and concerned about Rn gas. A number of studies were carried out on mine workers where physicians were reporting high incidences of lung cancer. Underground mines create ideal condition for trapping Rn levels and allowing them to concentrate.
A US Example http://www.nei.org/Master-Document-Folder/Backgrounders/Fact-Sheets/Radon-Safety-Measures-in-Uranium-Mining
Canadian Examples
http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/resources/fact-sheets/radon-fact-sheet.cfm
Click here for Radon Brochures and FAQ
...and yet more on the history of Rn 222. What???... some people actually find this stuff fascinating :)
Way back in the 90's, that's the 1890's, scientists started observing gas concentrations emitting from radioactive material, first Thorium (Th 232) then Radium (Ra 226). By 1908 scientists at University College in London were able to collect Radon (Rn 222) gas and determine its properties, including the fact that it is the heaviest gas known at 8 times the density of the atmosphere at sea level.
A US Example http://www.nei.org/Master-Document-Folder/Backgrounders/Fact-Sheets/Radon-Safety-Measures-in-Uranium-Mining
Canadian Examples
http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/resources/fact-sheets/radon-fact-sheet.cfm
Click here for Radon Brochures and FAQ
...and yet more on the history of Rn 222. What???... some people actually find this stuff fascinating :)
Way back in the 90's, that's the 1890's, scientists started observing gas concentrations emitting from radioactive material, first Thorium (Th 232) then Radium (Ra 226). By 1908 scientists at University College in London were able to collect Radon (Rn 222) gas and determine its properties, including the fact that it is the heaviest gas known at 8 times the density of the atmosphere at sea level.
ORDER ONLINE HERE: Click this link to go to the Radon BC online store
This shows where Rn fits into the radioactive decay chain which starts with Uranium 238 and ends with Lead 206
Questions???: dan@radonbc.ca
Wondering what the two images above have to do with each other? Watch this space for the answer.
...or email the correct answer to win a Rn test kit.
...or email the correct answer to win a Rn test kit.
Frequently Asked Questions about Radon Gas
What the heck is this Radon Gas stuff anyway?
Radon (Rn) gas is a noble gas which means it does not react with other gasses. The six noble gases that occur naturally are helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), and the radioactive radon (Rn). Rn is the only noble gas that is radioactive. Other uses for noble gasses that are not harmful in normal concentrations are cutting gasses for the metal industry and even the gas used to fill the space between your double pane windows. Rn comes after Radium in the decay chain and is present in varying levels in rocks, soil and water. The terms Rn daughters , RDP (Radioactive Decay Products) Rn progeny etc includes the ALPHA PARTICLES (remember this part) that are given off as Rn gas continues it's path in the radioactive decay chain. One of the Alpha Particles given off by Rn is polonium and it is particles like these impacting lung tissue that start the health impacts. The short answer: Rn gas is a radioactive gas that emits alpha particles which have a harmful effect on the DNA in lung tissue cells.
If Rn gas is naturally occurring why should I be concerned?
This is a great question and comes up all the time. Rn occurs in varying degrees from barely measurable to levels hundreds of times higher than the current recommended Canadian actionable residential limit of 200 Becquerels. (Bq/M3). Rn in outdoor air dissipates as soil and rock off-gas so background outdoor levels can be much lower than indoor readings in the same vicinity. Where it becomes an issue is when Rn gas is trapped and allowed to concentrate. One recent blog post (yes this nerd actually reads Rn blogs) attempted to dispel the harmful "myth" by saying that if it was true then every sandbox in the world is a potential health risk. Well, not true as the naturally occurring off-gassing that takes places is dissipated in outdoor air...but, if you had a sandbox in a high Rn area and you played in it under a cover which didn't allow air changes to take place then you definitely would be playing in a high Rn environment. Our homes and workplaces are subject to the same phenomena. Rn gas is naturally emitted from the soil or rock, becomes trapped in crawlspaces or under concrete slabs and finds its way in to our indoor environments through cracks, openings for ducts and pipes, and ends up in our lungs. The short answer: The health risk associated with Rn gas is increased by our building practices which trap this gas and allow it to build up, primarily in the lower levels of our indoor environments.
What is a Becquerel...or a Picocurie for that matter?
In 1903 the Nobel Prize for physics was awarded jointly to Henri Becquerel and Marie and Pierre Curie. These people were pioneers in our understanding of the characteristics of radioactive materials and Henri Becquerel is credited with discovering radioactivity itself. Their names were adopted as measurement units. Becquerels in Canada/UK and Curies in the US.
Madame Curie is credited with the observation that the temperature of an object can actually be raised by light too high in the spectrum to be visible to humans (more on this later) A Becquerel is one nuclear disintegration of an atom, as it sheds an ALPHA PARTICLE, per cubic meter per second. The current Canadian Health Canada recommendation of 200 Bq/M3 means 200 disintegrations per second for every cubic meter of air. This is down from 800 Bq/M3 which was the recommended limit from 1988 - 2007. USA EPA guidelines work out to lower limits of around 150 Bq/M3, or 4 picocuries, for their residential recommendations. (Much of the info you will see on Rn is in these measurements, multiply 1 picocurie by 37 to get Becquerels)
The short answer: Becquerels and picocuries are standard measurement units of radioactivity. Canada and the UK use 200 Bq as a limit, the USA uses 4 picocuries (150 Bequerels) , and the World Health Organization recommends 100 Bq/M3 as a safe limit for indoor air.
Soooo...what do I do now.? I have a reading I want to mitigate. CLICK on the three bar icon at the top of this page.
A careful system design, properly installed, can generally lower Rn to acceptable levels. System installation employs several aspects of the construction trades. Good Rn mitigators will be able to pull these skills together in implementing this third stage of your management program. Skillful operation of diamond coring apparatus can make the installation less invasive than you may think. If you have a reading you want to mitigate, or you are still curious, click on the mitigation tab at the top of this page for pics and further explanations.