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New homes in Canada have 467% higher radon levels than in Sweden: researchers
CALGARY -
A team of researchers at the University of Calgary says new homes built in Canada have drastically higher radon gas levels than those built in Sweden.
The team, consisting of architects and cancer researchers, used artificial intelligence tools to analyze long-term radon tests and buildings from more than 25,000 Canadian and 38,000 Swedish residential properties constructed since the Second World War.
The researchers found that, on average, radon gas levels in new homes built in Canada were 467 per cent higher than those built in Sweden.
Media Release on Our Research to Radin Canada
The newer your home is, the higher its radon level is likely to be
Axel Tardieu
november 23, 2021
The average radon level measured in new Canadian homes is 467 per cent higher than in Swedish homes, says a University of Calgary study. This Scandinavian country was chosen for its similarities in climate, design trends, construction methods, technology and education.
Researchers who have called on architects, oncologists and radiologists are taking advantage of this month of awareness of this colorless and odorless gas, but radioactive and carcinogenic, to draw attention to alarming problems, without knowing the causes.
They predict that, if left unchecked by 2050, the Canadian average will increase by 25%. After Poland, the Prairies are the second region in the world with the highest levels of radon in its homes.
A multi-disciplinary team of Canadian architects and cancer researchers has found average radon gas levels in new homes in Canada are 467 per cent higher than in Sweden.
In the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports at Nature.com, researchers predict that without intervention, by 2050 the average radon level of a new Canadian home will increase another 25 per cent over current levels, which are already third highest in the world.