Ontario man discovers high concentration of radioactive gas in his new home

If Bob Barnes hadn’t met a neighbor last summer, he would never have known that his recently purchased home also had extremely high levels of a carcinogenic gas.

In July 2023, Barnes purchased a property in the community of Cedar Springs in Chatham-Kent, Ontario and began renovating it to be closer to his grandchildren.

And one day, as I was sitting outside on the porch, a neighbor came by.

“(He) said, ‘Are you aware of the radon levels out here?’ We had no idea and he said, ‘I have a meter – feel free to use it,'” Barnes said.

About 24 hours later, the meter in his living room showed 2,500 becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3). The limit on Health Canada’s website is 200, while the World Health Organization’s limit is 100 Bq/m3.

“I was really shocked. I thought the meter was showing the wrong value, so I reset it.”

That didn’t change the results, nor did buying another monitor. He decided to do a test in his basement – the radon levels were 40 times higher than healthy levels.

“I immediately opened all the doors and windows in the house.”

What is radon gas?

Radon is an odorless, invisible, radioactive gas that is naturally released from rock, soil and water and can enter homes through small cracks and holes that form over time.

According to the Canadian Lung Association (CLA), radon is also the second leading cause of death from lung cancer after cigarettes. It is estimated that 16 percent of all lung cancer cases are caused by radon.

Bob Barnes checks his radon levels every morning to make sure they are within healthy limits. He leaves the windows in his living room and bedroom slightly open. (Meg Roberts/CBC) — Bob Barnes checks his radon levels every morning to make sure they are within healthy limits. He leaves the windows in his living room and bedroom open. (Meg Roberts/CBC)

“It’s extremely difficult to cure, so if we breathe in enough radon, it damages the DNA in our lungs and causes genetic mutations,” said Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, a professor at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.

Children are at even greater risk because of their longer life expectancy, he said.

Goodarzi, who is also the scientific director of the Evict Radon National Study, said genetic mutations can take between 10 and 30 years to develop, meaning children exposed to radon are at greater risk of developing lung cancer over their lifetime.

Radon gas can be present in any home that has contact with the ground, but rural communities across the country are at 30 percent increased risk of high levels, Goodarzi said.

The amount of time you spend at home, and how many years of that time, can also affect your risk of lung cancer, he said.

Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, pictured here with a radon test kit, wants people from across the province to participate in the Evict Radon campaign. (Elissa Carpenter/CBC)

A home built toward the end of World War II has a one in 10 risk of having harmful levels of radon, he said. And for a new home built around 2020, the risk rate is as high as one in four.

It’s an ugly statistic, said Goodarzi, that people don’t want to deal with.

“Our home is our safe place and despite the reality, we do not want to accept that there could be something dangerous in our home that could affect our health.”

Questions about accountability

The cough and headaches Barnes developed last fall have disappeared since his radon problem was fixed, the Cedar Springs resident said.

He drilled a hole in the concrete in the basement and put a pipe with a fan over it to blow the gas out of his house.

It wasn’t a complicated renovation, he said, and he can now get the radon levels in his home under control. However, he wonders how anyone can buy a home in Ontario without radon being mentioned.

“They don’t inform you, they don’t test you, they don’t force you to do it. They don’t tell you that there is a big problem in this area, so you’re more or less on your own,” he said.

“If it weren’t for my neighbor, we would be living here with these extremely high values.”

Bob Barnes stands next to his basement ventilation system that blows radon gas out of his house. (Meg Roberts/CBC)

Goodarzi said a major reason for the lack of policy and public awareness about the gas is that, like all mineral rights, gas and natural waterways, it is a provincial jurisdiction.

“Every Canadian province and territory is doing its own thing – or in many cases not doing it. … That has somehow led to a lack of critical momentum,” Goodarzi said.

Ontario’s Ministry of Health said in a statement to CBC News that “local health authorities are responsible for raising public awareness of the health hazards posed by indoor air and radiation exposure and supporting the development of health guidelines.”

In Windsor-Essex, Ontario, there have been local efforts to combat radon. In 2015, the health authority conducted a three-year study to better understand the local situation.

It turned out that about 11 percent of the houses tested in the city and the county had radon levels that were above healthy levels.

Health Canada has launched a national radon program that includes surveys, public education initiatives and standardized measurements.

Self-initiative could save lives

Every morning, Barnes wakes up and checks his radon meter to make sure the levels in his home aren’t too high, and he always leaves the windows in his bedroom and living room slightly open.

His electric bill is a little higher, but he feels it’s worth it considering the potential future health complications for him and his family.

“We as homeowners should be informed about this so that we can decide for ourselves whether we want to deal with it or not,” he said.

“The check is easy, it’s worth it.”