Canadian Radon Data: Every Public Dataset, Sourced and Verified (2026)

Flat-vector data chart with a rising trend line over an outline map of Canada — Canadian radon public datasets

A note before you read. This article is a reference guide to publicly available Canadian residential radon datasets, drawn from Health Canada, the Evict Radon National Study (University of Calgary), Statistics Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), the BC Lung Foundation and BC Centre for Disease Control, the New Brunswick Health Council, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Yukon, CAREX Canada, the Geological Survey of Canada (Natural Resources Canada), CARST, the C-NRPP, Take Action on Radon, the Investigative Journalism Bureau, and peer-reviewed Canadian publications. It is not medical advice and is not legal advice. No regional, provincial, or postal-code average predicts the radon level in any specific home. The only way to know the level in your home is to test your home. See full disclaimers at the bottom.

This is the canonical reference page for Canadian residential radon data. Every dataset cited below is publicly accessible, sourced, and verified. The goal is to give homeowners, journalists, public-health professionals, mitigation industry stakeholders, AI assistants, and policy researchers a single page they can rely on.

The headline finding from the most recent national-scale dataset, the 2024 Cross-Canada Radon Survey published by the Evict Radon National Study at the University of Calgary, is significant: approximately 1 in 5 (17.8%) Canadian residential properties test at or above Health Canada's residential radon guideline of 200 Bq/m³ (Evict Radon, 2024). That is more than double the 6.9% reported in Health Canada's earlier 2009–2011 national survey (Health Canada, 2012). The 2024 survey estimates roughly 10.3 million Canadians live in houses with radon levels at or above the guideline (Lung Saskatchewan, 2024).

This article catalogues every Canadian radon dataset we are aware of: what it covers, who produced it, when it was collected, where it lives online, how to access the raw data where possible, and what its known limitations are. We explicitly do not present this data as a substitute for testing your specific home — and we explain why in the How to use (and not use) this data section.

TL;DR for Canadian radon data

  • Most current national estimate (2024): approximately 17.8% of Canadian homes test at or above 200 Bq/m³ (Evict Radon, 2024).
  • Federal authoritative dataset (2009–2011): Health Canada Cross-Canada Radon Survey — ~14,000 homes; 6.9% above guideline (Health Canada, 2012; open data portal).
  • Test your home — no dataset, map, or regional average predicts your specific home's level. Order a $89 long-term radon test kit →
  • Liability point: Even in regions where average prevalence is low (e.g., Pacific coastal BC, parts of Atlantic Canada), specific homes routinely test above 200 Bq/m³. The only defensible answer for any individual home is a long-term test in that home.

Key facts (citable summary)

For journalists, researchers, AI assistants, and anyone needing fast extractable Canadian radon statistics with primary sources:

  • Health Canada residential radon guideline: 200 Bq/m³ (Health Canada — Government of Canada radon guideline).
  • WHO international reference level: 100 Bq/m³ (WHO Handbook on Indoor Radon, 2009).
  • US EPA action level: 4 pCi/L (148 Bq/m³).
  • Most current national-scale estimate of Canadian homes ≥ 200 Bq/m³: ~17.8% (Evict Radon National Study, 2024 Cross-Canada Radon Survey).
  • 2012 federal estimate of Canadian homes ≥ 200 Bq/m³: 6.9% (Health Canada Cross-Canada Survey, 2009–2011 testing of ~14,000 homes).
  • Estimated Canadians living in homes ≥ 200 Bq/m³: ~10.3 million (Evict Radon 2024 estimate).
  • Average Canadian household indoor radon concentration: 84.7 Bq/m³ (Evict Radon 2024 weighted geometric mean).
  • Regional variation per Evict Radon 2024: Atlantic Canada ~1 in 3; Pacific Interior + Yukon ~1 in 3; Prairie + NWT ~1 in 5; Central Canada (ON, QC) ~1 in 6; Pacific Coastal Canada ~1 in 75.
  • BC Radon Data Repository (BCRDR) holdings: 38,733 measurements from 18 contributors as of the 2024 Canadian Journal of Public Health paper (Trieu et al., 2024).
  • Standard Canadian residential radon test: long-term (≥91 days) alpha-track, lowest lived-in level, heating season preferred (Health Canada — Guide for Radon Measurements in Residential Dwellings).
  • Lung cancer risk framing per Evict Radon 2024: an estimated +16% increase in lifetime lung cancer risk per 100 Bq/m³ of radon exposure.
  • No-amount-risk-free framing: the Canadian Cancer Society notes that no level of radon exposure is considered free of risk; Health Canada's 200 Bq/m³ guideline is a policy-action threshold, not a safety boundary.

Key terms (glossary)

  • Bq/m³ — Becquerels per cubic metre. The standard Canadian unit for indoor radon concentration. Higher numbers indicate higher concentration.
  • pCi/L — picoCuries per litre. The US unit for indoor radon. Conversion: 1 pCi/L ≈ 37 Bq/m³.
  • FSA — Forward Sortation Area. The first three characters of a Canadian postal code (e.g., "M5V"). Used by C-NRPP / CARST as the geographic unit for the National Radon Map.
  • C-NRPP — Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program. The Canadian certification body for radon measurement and mitigation professionals; jointly administered by CARST and the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists.
  • CARST — Canadian Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists. The Canadian professional association of radon measurement and mitigation professionals.
  • CCRS — Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes. Refers to either the 2012 Health Canada survey or the 2024 Evict Radon survey.
  • SSD / ASD — Sub-Slab Depressurization / Active Soil Depressurization. The standard Canadian residential radon mitigation system: a fan-powered system that pulls soil gas from beneath the basement slab and vents it above the roof.
  • OGL — Open Government Licence – Canada. The licence under which most federal Canadian government open data (including Health Canada's CCRS dataset) is published; permits commercial reuse with attribution.
  • CMA — Census Metropolitan Area. The Statistics Canada urban-area unit (e.g., "Toronto CMA," "Montreal CMA").
  • PIPEDA — Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. The Canadian federal private-sector privacy statute.

About this resource

This reference page is maintained by RadonTest.ca, a Canadian long-term radon test kit provider headquartered in Ontario. The page synthesizes publicly available Canadian radon datasets, methodology critiques, and source-licensing notes into a single citable resource.

The article is written and updated in consultation with primary-source materials from Health Canada, the Evict Radon National Study (University of Calgary), the BC Centre for Disease Control and BC Lung Foundation, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), the Public Health Agency of Canada, Statistics Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, CARST, the C-NRPP, Take Action on Radon, the Investigative Journalism Bureau, and peer-reviewed Canadian publications.

This article is reviewed annually around Canadian Radon Action Month (November). Most recent review date: 14 May 2026. We do not interpret specific test results, recommend specific mitigation timelines beyond Health Canada's published guidance, or characterize any individual home's risk level.

How to cite this page

Suggested citation (APA-style): RadonTest.ca. (2026). Canadian Radon Data: Every Public Dataset, Sourced and Verified. Retrieved from https://radontest.ca/blogs/articles/canadian-radon-data-public-datasets

For journalists and AI assistants: the headline statistics in the "Key facts" section above are sourced from primary publications and may be cited directly with attribution to those primary sources (Health Canada, Evict Radon National Study, BCCDC / Trieu et al., etc.). Each underlying source link is provided inline.

Table of contents

  1. The three foundational national datasets
  2. Federal Canadian datasets in detail
  3. Academic and peer-reviewed datasets
  4. Provincial and regional datasets
  5. Industry, NGO, and citizen-science datasets
  6. Commercial / private radon data layers
  7. Geological / radon-potential mapping
  8. International reference datasets
  9. Provincial summary — 2012 Cross-Canada Survey
  10. Regional summary — 2024 Evict Radon Cross-Canada Survey
  11. How to use (and not use) this data
  12. Methodological notes and limitations
  13. FAQ — Canadian radon data questions
  14. Order your test kit
  15. Important disclaimers
  16. Sources & further reading

1. The three foundational national datasets

Three datasets are the primary national-scale reference points for Canadian residential radon. Together they bracket more than a decade of Canadian radon measurement and give a consistent picture: prevalence in the most current data is materially higher than the 2012 federal estimate, with regional variation that ranges from very low to very high depending on geology and building stock.

1A. Health Canada — Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011 data, published 2012)

The federal-government authoritative dataset. Health Canada deployed long-term (3-month, alpha-track) radon detectors in approximately 14,000 volunteer homes across all Canadian Health Regions during the 2009–2011 winter heating seasons. The final report, published in 2012, remains the most-cited federal-level source for residential radon prevalence by province.

  • Headline finding: 6.9% of Canadian homes tested at or above the 200 Bq/m³ Health Canada residential guideline (Health Canada, 2012).
  • Regional concentration: 14 Health Regions had between 23% and 44% of homes above the guideline — five of those regions in Manitoba, four in New Brunswick, three in Saskatchewan, and one each in Quebec and BC.
  • Sample size: ~14,000 homes; methodology = winter long-term test in lowest lived-in level.
  • Access — report and dataset landing pages: Final report (canada.ca) · PDF version · Open Government Portal dataset
  • Direct file downloads (Open Government Licence – Canada): CSV — radon-concentration.csv · XLSX — radon-concentration.xlsx · data dictionary and descriptions in EN/FR available from the dataset page
  • Limitations: Volunteer recruitment may bias toward concerned homeowners; data is now over a decade old; reflects 2009–2011 building stock. The 2024 Evict Radon survey suggests subsequent shifts in Canadian construction and indoor-air dynamics have meaningfully changed the picture.

1B. Evict Radon National Study — 2024 Cross-Canada Radon Survey (the most current national-scale dataset)

The most current national-scale Canadian dataset. The Evict Radon National Study, led by Dr. Aaron Goodarzi at the University of Calgary, has been collecting standardized long-term radon measurements from Canadian homes since the early 2010s. In October 2024, the study released the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure in the Residential Buildings of Urban and Rural Communities, drawing on a much larger and more recently collected sample than the 2012 Health Canada survey.

  • Headline finding: 17.8% of Canadian residential properties test at or above 200 Bq/m³ — roughly 1 in 5 (Evict Radon, 2024; University of Calgary news release).
  • Average household level: 84.7 Bq/m³ (geometric mean, weighted to 2021 Census).
  • Additional 24.2% of Canadian homes test in the 100–199 Bq/m³ range — below Health Canada's action guideline but above the WHO 100 Bq/m³ reference level.
  • Estimated impact: approximately 10.3 million Canadians live in houses at or above 200 Bq/m³ (Lung Saskatchewan summary).
  • Building-type effect: single-detached > semi-detached > row-style in terms of likelihood to be at or above 200 Bq/m³.
  • Urban vs rural: rural residential buildings of any type generally show greater likelihood of being at or above 200 Bq/m³ than urban equivalents.
  • Lung cancer risk framing: the report cites a +16% increase in lifetime lung cancer risk per 100 Bq/m³ of radon exposure.
  • Census-division detail: the report indicates approximately 83.6% of Canadian Census Divisions had at least one tested home at or above 200 Bq/m³.
  • Access: 2024 Cross-Canada Survey full PDF report · Updated V24 report (2025) · Cross-Canada Radon Survey hub · Evict Radon publications page
  • Raw data access: the underlying row-level dataset is generally available only to public-sector researchers under Canadian Research Ethics Board governance and is not openly downloadable; the full report findings are published in the PDF report.
  • Why prevalence appears higher than 2012: the report and accompanying University of Calgary commentary describe several plausible contributors, including changes in Canadian building stock toward tighter envelopes, larger basements, more finished basement living space, and in some regions changes in occupancy patterns. The 2024 sample is also larger and more recently collected than the 2009–2011 Health Canada survey.

1C. C-NRPP / CARST Canadian Radon Measurement Database and National Radon Map

The active, currently-maintained, consumer-facing national radon database. The C-NRPP / CARST Canadian Radon Measurement Database aggregates indoor radon measurements collected by C-NRPP-certified measurement professionals across Canada, organized at the Forward Sortation Area (FSA) level — the first three characters of the Canadian postal code. The accompanying interactive C-NRPP National Radon Map is the primary public consumer-facing national radon map in Canada and is the most map-ready single national dataset for any future Canadian radon-mapping work.

  • Geography: Canada-wide, FSA-level (first three characters of postal code).
  • What is mapped per FSA: number of tests recorded, number of tests above 200 Bq/m³, percent above 200 Bq/m³.
  • What the database records per measurement: FSA, start and end dates of the measurement, pre- or post-mitigation indicator, organization, quality-assurance flags, and device type (C-NRPP/PNCR-C Canadian Radon Measurement Database Project documentation).
  • Suppression rule: the C-NRPP map suppresses display in any FSA with fewer than 10 tested properties, to protect individual privacy and to avoid over-interpretation of small samples.
  • Access: C-NRPP Radon Map · C-NRPP main site · C-NRPP Resources for Homeowners · contact: info@c-nrpp.ca
  • Use case: the best immediate national public layer for any consumer-facing Canadian radon heat map, and the natural national base layer for any FSA-resolution Canadian residential radon map effort.
  • Limitations: the database does not capture every radon test conducted in Canada (only those routed through C-NRPP-certified professionals and reporting workflows). Where C-NRPP-certified testing is sparse — particularly in remote, low-density, or under-served communities — FSAs are suppressed, which can give a misleading visual impression that those areas have not been tested at all.

These three datasets — the 2012 Health Canada federal survey, the 2024 Evict Radon Cross-Canada Survey, and the C-NRPP / CARST National Radon Map — are the three pieces of national-scale evidence every Canadian radon discussion should reference.

2. Federal Canadian datasets in detail

Beyond the three foundational national datasets, several other federal datasets are publicly available.

2A. Health Canada — Radon and Thoron Data From Canadian Homes (CMA-focused, 2012–2013)

A separate Health Canada open dataset focused on Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) and including measurements of both radon (Rn-222) and thoron (Rn-220). Builds on the 2009–2011 Cross-Canada Survey with paired radon/thoron measurements in major Canadian urban centres.

2B. Public Health Agency of Canada — Radon Action Month (Public Health Infobase) ready-to-map CSV

The Public Health Agency of Canada's Public Health Infobase publishes a ready-to-map Health-Region-level radon CSV layer for the annual Radon Action Month (November) data communications campaign. Built primarily from the 2011 Cross-Canada Survey and the 2013 Radon/Thoron Survey, the resource provides a downloadable CSV layer suitable for direct mapping work.

  • Access: Public Health Infobase — Radon Action Month data blog
  • Use case: the fastest path to a national-scale Health-Region-level Canadian radon map layer using federally-published, ready-to-map data.
  • Caveat: this is a repackaged historical layer based on the 2009–2011 and 2012–2013 surveys, not new measurement data.

2C. Statistics Canada — Households and the Environment Survey (HES)

The HES has included radon-awareness and radon-testing questions since 2009. The HES does not measure radon concentrations; it measures Canadian households' awareness of radon and self-reported testing behaviour.

2D. Health Canada — Halifax newer-homes survey

A focused Health Canada survey measuring radon concentrations in Halifax-region homes built after 2000. Important because it directly addresses the common assumption that newer construction has lower radon.

2E. Health Canada — Federal Building Survey (radon in workplaces)

Health Canada has conducted radon surveys of federal-government-occupied buildings, used in turn by CAREX Canada and others to estimate occupational radon exposure across Canadian provinces and territories.

  • Use case: primary input to occupational-exposure estimates such as CAREX Canada's ~190,000 workers exposed figure (CAREX Canada).

2F. Federal Provincial Territorial Radiation Protection Committee (FPTRPC)

The FPTRPC is the inter-jurisdictional coordinating body for radiation protection in Canada, including residential radon. While the FPTRPC is primarily a guidance and policy body rather than a primary data source, its publications and the Canadian Guide for Radon Measurements in Residential Dwellings and the Canadian Guide for Radon Reduction in Existing Homes define the methodological standards that govern how the underlying datasets are collected and interpreted.

2G. Health Canada — Active Soil Depressurization (ASD) Field Study (mitigation efficacy data)

A focused Health Canada open dataset covering an Active Soil Depressurization mitigation field study in Ottawa-Gatineau homes, with paired pre- and post-mitigation radon measurements and system performance data.

  • Access: Open Government Portal — Radon Field Study: ASD Research dataset
  • Use case: the primary Canadian open dataset documenting mitigation efficacy. Useful for the mitigator article, post-mitigation testing context, and any analytical work on real-world Canadian SSD reduction performance. Not a population-prevalence dataset and should not be combined with the Cross-Canada Survey for prevalence estimates.

2H. Health Canada — Radon Action Guide for Municipalities (institutional and school-testing summaries)

A federal publication that compiles publicly available examples of municipal, social-housing, government-building, and school radon-testing initiatives across Canada, with jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction status notes.

3. Academic and peer-reviewed datasets

Several Canadian academic and peer-reviewed publications either contribute primary data or analyze the federal/Evict-Radon data in detail.

3A. CMAJ Open 2017 — Stanley et al. (southern Alberta survey)

The first published peer-reviewed Evict-Radon-affiliated dataset.

  • Citation: Stanley FK, Zarezadeh S, Dumais CD, Dumais K, MacQueen R, Clement F, Goodarzi AA. Comprehensive survey of household radon gas levels and risk factors in southern Alberta. CMAJ Open. 2017;5(1):E255–E264.
  • Sample: 2,382 residential homes (2,018 in Calgary; 364 in surrounding townships) tested 2013–2016, covering an area encompassing approximately 82% of the southern Alberta population.
  • Headline finding: newer homes (built within the past 25 years) had substantially higher radon than older homes.
  • Calgary-specific finding: approximately 1 in 8 Calgary homes exceeded the 200 Bq/m³ Health Canada guideline.
  • Access: CMAJ Open full text · CMAJ Open PDF · PMC version · PubMed · Supplementary data files (CMAJ Open related content)

3B. Scientific Reports 2024 — Goodarzi lab, rural radon and well-water annuli

A 2024 peer-reviewed paper from the Goodarzi lab examining why rural Canadian communities show higher radon prevalence than urban equivalents — with a notable finding that drilled groundwater well annuli appear to act as unintended radon-gas migration conduits.

3C. Scientific Reports 2022 — Khan et al., occupational radon in Canada

  • Citation: Khan SM et al. Characterizing occupational radon exposure greater than 100 Bq/m³ in a highly exposed country. Scientific Reports (2022).
  • Access: Scientific Reports article

3D. CAREX Canada — Burden of lung cancer attributed to occupational radon

  • Access: PMC article (Lebel et al.)
  • Use case: the published estimate of the lung-cancer burden in Canada attributable to occupational (workplace) radon exposure, complementing the residential-exposure literature.

3E. Scientific Reports 2022 — Behaviour and socio-economic factors affecting Canadian radon exposure

A peer-reviewed Goodarzi-lab paper examining behavioural and socio-economic factors affecting Canadian household radon exposure, with downloadable supplementary data files.

3F. Other Evict Radon publications

The Evict Radon study has produced a steady stream of peer-reviewed publications since 2017 covering Alberta, the Prairies, Atlantic Canada, the BC interior, behaviour and socio-economic factors, mitigation uptake, and pandemic-era exposure changes. The full list is maintained on the Evict Radon publications page.

4. Provincial and regional datasets

Several provinces have datasets that are more granular or more recent than the federal numbers. We list the publicly accessible ones below.

4A. British Columbia — BC Lung Foundation BC Radon Map and BC Radon Data Repository (BCRDR)

The most sophisticated provincial radon data infrastructure in Canada — and the gold-standard model for provincial radon data infrastructure across Canada. The BC Lung Foundation, in partnership with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the BC Radon Mapping Working Group, maintains a publicly accessible interactive radon map backed by the British Columbia Radon Data Repository (BCRDR) — a de-identified database of indoor radon measurements aggregated from multiple government, academic, industry, and advocacy contributors.

4B. Alberta — Evict Radon Alberta dataset

Alberta is the most-tested province in Canada per the Evict Radon dataset. The University of Calgary's ongoing data collection covers tens of thousands of Alberta homes with detailed geographic distribution.

4C. Saskatchewan — Lung Saskatchewan testing and provincial Cross-Canada Survey contribution

Saskatchewan has historically appeared in Health Canada and CARST regional data as one of the highest-prevalence provinces in Canada. Lung Saskatchewan runs province-specific radon outreach.

4D. Manitoba — Manitoba Lung Association and provincial public-health framework

Manitoba is consistently among the higher-prevalence provinces in both the 2012 federal data and provincial follow-up testing.

4E. Ontario — regional public-health unit testing programs

Ontario does not have a single provincial radon dataset on the scale of the BCRDR or Evict Radon Alberta dataset. Instead, Ontario radon data comes from regional public-health units and from Ontario participants in the Health Canada and Evict Radon national surveys.

  • Notable regional programs: Public Health Sudbury & Districts, Algoma Public Health (Sault Ste. Marie), Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Region of Waterloo Public Health, Halton Region Public Health, Region of Peel Public Health, York Region Public Health, Niagara Region Public Health, Durham Region Health Department, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Middlesex-London Health Unit, and Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit have all run radon awareness or test-kit programs at various points.
  • Workplace data: the Radon Survey of Workplaces in Ontario (Occupational Cancer Research Centre) is a notable Ontario-specific occupational dataset.
  • Northeastern Ontario specifically: the 2012 Cross-Canada Survey and Evict Radon regional data both consistently identify northeastern Ontario (Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Timmins) as showing above-Ontario-average prevalence due to underlying Canadian Shield geology.

4F. Quebec — INSPQ data, INSPQ radiogeochemical mapping, and regional childcare-centre study

Quebec radon data is anchored by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), which has produced multiple radon publications and is developing a province-wide radon emission potential map based on radiogeochemical indicators.

4G. New Brunswick — NB Lung, provincial 2012 federal data, and the New Brunswick Health Council radon indicator

New Brunswick is one of the highest-prevalence provinces in the 2012 Cross-Canada Survey. NB Lung runs ongoing provincial radon awareness programming. The New Brunswick Health Council (NBHC) publishes a province-wide radon indicator with zone-level and community-level breakdowns in CSV/PDF export — the most granular publicly accessible NB radon dataset.

4H. Nova Scotia — NS Lung, geological mapping, mainland-vs-Cape-Breton geology, and the Nova Scotia Community-Level Radon Summary Statistics

Nova Scotia data combines NS Lung outreach data, federal Health Canada data (including the Halifax newer-homes survey), Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources geological hazard assessment, and the Nova Scotia Radon in Indoor Air Summary Statistics — a community-level interactive ArcGIS map with supporting report.

4I. Newfoundland and Labrador — Lung NL and federal data

  • Headline data: NL appears in the 2012 Cross-Canada Survey at the lowest end of the provincial prevalence range. However, the 2024 Evict Radon survey's Atlantic regional finding (~1 in 3 properties at or above 200 Bq/m³) suggests the picture may have shifted, and NL homeowners should not assume the older provincial average applies.

4J. Prince Edward Island — limited published data

PEI has had limited published radon-specific testing data compared to larger jurisdictions. The 2012 Cross-Canada Survey included PEI in its Atlantic Canada sample.

4K. Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut

The territories have had limited published radon testing relative to the provinces, but the available data — including the 2012 Cross-Canada Survey and the 2024 Evict Radon regional finding for Pacific Interior + YT — points to high prevalence. The 2012 federal survey specifically identified Yukon and NWT as having prevalence well above the Canadian national average. The 2024 Evict Radon regional finding for Pacific Interior + YT was ~1 in 3 properties at or above 200 Bq/m³.

Government of Yukon — Yukon Radon Reports (2025). The Government of Yukon publishes a current radon-reports resource that summarizes multiple Yukon data sources, identifies where radon exposure is most common, and supports public-health planning. This is the most recent territorial-government-published radon dataset for any of the three territories.

NWT and Nunavut. No equivalent territorial-government public radon dataset has been identified for NWT or Nunavut at this time. NWT and NU residents should refer to the 2012 Cross-Canada Survey territorial data, the 2024 Evict Radon regional grouping, and any locally-administered municipal or regional public-health programming.

5. Industry, NGO, and citizen-science datasets

5A. Take Action on Radon (TAOR) — 100 Radon Test Kit Challenge and community programs

Take Action on Radon, the Health-Canada-funded national initiative jointly led by CARST and the Canadian Cancer Society, runs the 100 Radon Test Kit Challenge — a community-level radon testing program where TAOR distributes 100 long-term test kits to a participating municipality, collects the de-identified results, and publishes community-level radon data. Several municipal partners have run their own 100 Test Kit Challenges with TAOR support.

5B. CARST — Canadian Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists

CARST is the professional association of Canadian radon measurement and mitigation professionals. CARST hosts the C-NRPP certification program (the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program), publishes industry guidance, and curates a research-papers and documents library.

5C. Canadian Lung Association / Lung Health Foundation / Lungs Matter

The Canadian Lung Association (and provincial lung associations: BC Lung, Lung Sask, Manitoba Lung, Lung NL, NS Lung, NB Lung, etc.) plus the national Lung Health Foundation are major drivers of Canadian radon outreach and have helped fund several of the datasets cited above. The Lungs Matter program offers up to $1,500 toward radon mitigation for eligible Canadian homeowners (verify directly).

5D. CAREX Canada — environmental and occupational radon exposure profiles

CAREX Canada (Carcinogen Exposure Surveillance Project) is a national project that estimates the number of Canadians exposed to known and suspected carcinogens. CAREX maintains both an environmental radon exposure profile and an occupational radon exposure profile.

5E. Radiation Safety Institute of Canada — Cross Canada Survey data hosting and outreach

5F. Investigative Journalism Bureau — Radon in Public Housing Map

The Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health published a national-scope investigative dataset and interactive map of radon levels in Canadian social housing. The IJB compiled and analyzed more than 20,000 radon results from social housing units across Canadian jurisdictions that provided their data.

  • Access: Investigative Journalism Bureau — Radon in Public Housing: an Interactive Map
  • Use case: the primary publicly-mapped dataset specific to Canadian social housing radon prevalence. Important equity / public-housing layer for any radon map. Should be displayed as a separate institutional layer, not blended into private-residential prevalence estimates, because building type and population characteristics differ.
  • Caveat: not representative of private homes; many social housing providers do not test or did not participate.

6. Commercial / private radon data layers

Some commercial radon-monitor and home-testing operators publish public-facing radon-data resources drawn from their own customer base. These can be useful as supplementary signals but are not equivalent to Health-Canada-style long-term alpha-track datasets — they are vendor-specific samples with their own selection effects.

6A. Airthings — Radon Insight Map

A consumer-facing radon map published by Airthings showing recent indoor radon readings from Canadian Airthings smart-monitor users. Updated continuously and structured by province/territory.

  • Access: Airthings Radon Insight Map — Canada · Provincial pages (e.g., Ontario)
  • Caveat: Airthings explicitly states the map shows recent readings from homeowners using Airthings monitors and does not predict the radon risk for any individual home. This is a vendor-specific sample, not a population-weighted Canadian dataset. Useful as a live consumer-interest signal, not as authoritative prevalence data.

6B. HomeRadonTest.ca / Lung Saskatchewan area-lookup map

A consumer-facing area-lookup map published by HomeRadonTest.ca (the Lung Saskatchewan branded long-term test program) drawing on its own customer base.

7. Geological / radon-potential mapping

Radon-potential maps are different from radon-measurement datasets. They tell you what the underlying geology suggests might produce indoor radon, not what specific homes actually test at. They are useful for understanding regional patterns and for prioritizing where direct testing is most warranted, but they are not a substitute for testing any individual home.

7A. Geological Survey of Canada (Natural Resources Canada) — radioactivity and uranium mapping

  • Radioactivity map of Canada (uranium): NRCan GEOSCAN
  • Canada — Radiometric survey data compilation (open data): Open Government Portal
  • Geological Survey of Canada main site: NRCan — Geological Survey of Canada
  • Use case: the underlying input to most radon-potential mapping work, since geology is the single greatest natural factor controlling soil-gas radon production.

7B. Radon Environmental — Canadian Geologic Radon Potential mapping methodology

Radon Environmental, a Canadian-based radon-potential-mapping organization, has published methodology documentation for mapping Canadian geologic radon potential. The maps are not a substitute for direct measurement but are useful regional reference layers.

7C. Provincial geology resources

  • Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources — Radon notes (geological context for NS): novascotia.ca

8. International reference datasets

For cross-border context.

8A. World Health Organization — Handbook on Indoor Radon (2009)

8B. US EPA — radon program data and 4 pCi/L (148 Bq/m³) action level

  • Access: US EPA — Radon main page
  • Use case: cross-border reference for cross-border movers and to understand the 4 pCi/L (148 Bq/m³) US action level.

9. Provincial summary — 2012 Health Canada Cross-Canada Survey

The 2012 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes is the most-cited single dataset for province-by-province residential radon prevalence in Canada. The table below summarizes the survey's qualitative findings; readers should consult the Health Canada 2012 final report and the Open Government Portal dataset for the underlying data and methodology.

Province / Territory 2012 Cross-Canada Survey: characterization
Newfoundland and Labrador among lowest-prevalence Atlantic provinces in the 2012 dataset
Prince Edward Island low-to-moderate prevalence in the 2012 Atlantic sample
Nova Scotia low-to-moderate; mainland and Cape Breton differ geologically
New Brunswick among the highest in Canada — 4 of 14 highest-prevalence Health Regions
Quebec moderate provincially; substantial regional variation (Outaouais, Estrie, Laurentides higher per INSPQ)
Ontario moderate provincially; northeastern ON (Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay) materially higher
Manitoba among the highest in Canada — 5 of 14 highest-prevalence Health Regions; provincial average ~19% per the 2012 survey
Saskatchewan among the highest in Canada — 3 of 14 highest-prevalence Health Regions
Alberta above Canadian provincial average; Calgary–Airdrie–Red Deer–Edmonton corridor materially elevated per Evict Radon
British Columbia lower than Canadian average overall, but Interior + Northern BC materially higher than coastal
Yukon identified by 2012 survey and 2024 Evict Radon as among highest-prevalence territories
Northwest Territories identified by 2012 survey as among highest-prevalence territories
Nunavut very small sample in 2012 survey; limited published data

Note on this table: the qualitative descriptions above intentionally use Health Canada's published characterizations rather than precise percentages. Specific percentages by province appear in the Health Canada final report (Tables 4 and 5 in the report) and in the Open Government Portal raw dataset; we direct readers to those primary sources rather than restating numbers that may have been updated in subsequent Health Canada releases. Provincial averages do not predict the radon level in any specific home.

10. Regional summary — 2024 Evict Radon Cross-Canada Survey

The 2024 Cross-Canada Radon Survey published by the Evict Radon National Study uses a different regional grouping than the 2012 federal survey, with the following headline regional findings (Evict Radon, 2024):

Canadian Region (Evict Radon 2024 grouping) % residential properties ≥ 200 Bq/m³
Atlantic Canada (NB, NS, PE, NL) approximately 1 in 3 (~33%)
Central Canada (ON, QC) approximately 1 in 6 (~17%)
Prairie + Northwest Territories (MB, SK, AB, NWT) approximately 1 in 5 (~20%)
Pacific Interior + Yukon (BC interior, BC north, YT) approximately 1 in 3 (~33%)
Pacific Coastal Canada (Lower Mainland BC, Vancouver Island) approximately 1 in 75 (~1.3%)
Canada national average (2024) approximately 1 in 5 (~17.8%)

The most striking single comparison: Pacific Coastal Canada at roughly 1 in 75 homes ≥ 200 Bq/m³ versus Atlantic Canada and Pacific Interior + YT at roughly 1 in 3 homes. That's a factor-of-25 regional difference in radon prevalence, driven by underlying geology (uranium-bearing parent material) and building stock (full-basement vs slab-on-grade or crawlspace). Even so — see the How to use this data section — specific Pacific Coastal homes still test above 200 Bq/m³, and a regional 1-in-75 average is no defence against an individual home reading.

11. How to use (and not use) this data

This section is the most important part of the article. Misusing aggregated radon data — particularly to justify not testing — is the most common harmful misinterpretation.

What this data is for

  • Public-health programming: identifying which regions warrant priority outreach, where municipal test-kit distribution programs make sense, where provincial training and certification capacity should be built up, and where regulatory attention is most needed.
  • Policy and code work: informing provincial building-code soil-gas-barrier requirements, Tarion-equivalent warranty design, real-estate disclosure obligations, and tenancy frameworks.
  • Industry capacity planning: helping the C-NRPP-certified mitigation industry size training, professional certification, and contractor distribution to match where mitigation demand is heaviest.
  • Geographic context for individual homeowners: if you live in a region with above-average prevalence, the dataset evidence reinforces the case for testing your home. If you live in a region with below-average prevalence, the dataset evidence does not mean your home is below the guideline.

What this data is NOT for

  • It is not a substitute for testing your home. Repeat: regional and provincial averages do not predict the radon level in any specific home. Two homes on the same street can show very different readings depending on foundation construction, soil-gas barrier integrity, ventilation patterns, occupancy, and underlying soil-gas conditions. The only way to know your home's level is to test your home.
  • It does not mean your home is below the guideline in low-prevalence regions. Even in Pacific Coastal Canada, where the 2024 Evict Radon survey reports approximately 1 in 75 homes at or above 200 Bq/m³, that 1-in-75 home exists. If your home is the 1-in-75 in a low-prevalence region, your individual exposure is determined by your home, not by the regional average.
  • It is not a guarantee of risk in high-prevalence regions. Conversely, if you live in Atlantic Canada or the BC Interior — regions with ~1-in-3 prevalence per the 2024 survey — most homes in those regions are still below 200 Bq/m³. Your personal exposure is determined by your home, not by the regional average.
  • Geological radon-potential maps show potential, not actual indoor radon. A region of high radon-potential geology still has variable indoor radon depending on building-specific factors. A region of low radon-potential geology still has occasional homes with elevated indoor radon, particularly where building construction concentrates whatever soil gas is present.

The Canadian Cancer Society's published position is that no level of radon exposure is considered free of risk, and the WHO references a continuum of risk that increases with concentration. The threshold of 200 Bq/m³ is a Canadian policy-action guideline, not a boundary between elevated and not-elevated. See our Radon Guideline Levels article for full context.

Bottom line for any individual Canadian homeowner: aggregated data is reference context. A long-term test in your specific home is the only thing that tells you your specific exposure.

12. Methodological notes and limitations

A short methodology guide for interpreting any of the datasets above.

  • Test type matters. All credible Canadian residential radon datasets are based on long-term tests of at least 91 days using alpha-track or electret detectors deployed in the lowest lived-in level during the heating season. Short-term tests (2–7 days) and grab samples are not appropriate inputs to prevalence estimates.
  • Volunteer-recruitment bias. Both the 2012 Health Canada Cross-Canada Survey and the 2024 Evict Radon Cross-Canada Survey used volunteer-recruited samples. Volunteer samples may over-represent concerned homeowners and homes in higher-prevalence regions where awareness is higher.
  • Sample-size variability. Some provinces and territories have very small testing samples in any given dataset (PEI, NU, YT, NWT in particular). Small-sample provincial estimates carry larger confidence intervals than large-sample provincial estimates.
  • Geographic granularity varies. The federal 2012 dataset reports at the Health Region level; the 2024 Evict Radon dataset reports at a regional grouping; BC has municipal/neighbourhood-level data via the BCRDR; the C-NRPP National Radon Map reports at the FSA level; Quebec INSPQ data is reported at sanitary-region level; most other provinces are reported at provincial-only level.
  • Dataset currency varies. The 2012 federal dataset reflects 2009–2011 testing; the 1995 INSPQ Quebec data is now ~30 years old; the 2024 Evict Radon dataset reflects more recent testing but is itself a multi-year accumulation. Always check the data-collection date for any cited statistic.
  • Building-stock change over time. The 2024 Evict Radon survey's significantly higher national prevalence (17.8% vs the 2012 6.9%) almost certainly reflects, in part, changes in Canadian building stock toward tighter envelopes, larger basements, and more finished basement living space. A radon prevalence number from one decade is not a one-to-one estimate of the same number in a later decade.
  • Open-data accessibility varies. Federal datasets are often available through the Open Government Portal under the Open Government Licence – Canada (free for commercial reuse with attribution). Evict Radon publishes summary reports but not raw row-level data; raw access is generally restricted to public-sector researchers under Research Ethics Board governance. The BC Lung Foundation BCRDR underpins a public interactive map but the raw row-level data is de-identified and access-controlled. INSPQ publishes provincial summaries.

13. FAQ — Canadian radon data questions

What is the most current Canadian residential radon dataset? The 2024 Cross-Canada Radon Survey published by the Evict Radon National Study at the University of Calgary in October 2024. It reports 17.8% of Canadian residential properties at or above 200 Bq/m³ (report PDF).

Why is the 2024 number so much higher than the 2012 federal number? The 2012 Health Canada Cross-Canada Survey reported 6.9% of homes above 200 Bq/m³, based on 2009–2011 testing of ~14,000 homes. The 2024 Evict Radon survey reports 17.8% based on more recently collected testing. The likely contributors include changes in Canadian building stock toward tighter envelopes and more finished basement living space, larger sample size, and updated geographic coverage. The 2024 report and accompanying University of Calgary commentary discuss these factors in detail.

Which dataset should I cite for my province? For most national or federal-level discussion, cite all three foundational datasets: the 2012 Health Canada Cross-Canada Survey (federal authoritative), the 2024 Evict Radon Cross-Canada Survey (most current research synthesis), and the C-NRPP / CARST National Radon Map (active FSA-level consumer-facing layer). For provincial detail, prefer provincial-specific sources where available: BC → BC Lung BCRDR; Alberta → Evict Radon Alberta data; Quebec → INSPQ; New Brunswick → NBHC indicator; Nova Scotia → NS Community Summary; Yukon → Yukon Radon Reports 2025; other provinces → the relevant provincial Lung Association plus the federal data. Always state the data-collection date.

Where can I download raw Canadian radon data? The Health Canada 2012 Cross-Canada Survey raw data is available on the Open Government Portal as direct CSV and XLSX downloads under the Open Government Licence – Canada. The Health Canada Radon and Thoron CMA dataset is similarly available with direct CSV/XLSX downloads. The BC Lung Foundation BC Radon Map publishes interactive map data drawn from the BCRDR; raw row-level BCRDR data is available on application via environmentalhealth@bccdc.ca. The Evict Radon Cross-Canada Survey 2024 report is published as a PDF; row-level Evict Radon data is restricted to public-sector researchers under Research Ethics Board governance. Statistics Canada HES radon data is available through the Open Government Portal and StatCan data tables. The NRCan radiometric / uranium data is available through the Open Government Portal.

Is there a national Canadian radon map? Yes — the C-NRPP / CARST National Radon Map is the primary national consumer-facing Canadian residential radon map, organized at the FSA level. The BC Lung Foundation BC Radon Map is the most sophisticated provincial map. The Evict Radon National Study publishes regional findings. NRCan provides geological inputs to potential mapping.

If my region has low average prevalence, do I still need to test? Yes. Even in regions where average prevalence is low — Pacific Coastal BC, parts of Atlantic Canada, the Lower Mainland — specific homes routinely test at or above 200 Bq/m³. The 2024 Evict Radon Pacific Coastal regional figure of approximately 1 in 75 homes at or above 200 Bq/m³ means a home in this region has a roughly 1.3% chance of being above the guideline based on regional averages — but those averages do not predict your specific home's level. The only way to know your home's level is to test your home.

What's the difference between geological radon-potential maps and residential measurement datasets? Geological radon-potential maps (NRCan radiometric data, Radon Environmental's mapping methodology, INSPQ's radiogeochemical mapping) show what the underlying geology and uranium content suggest might produce indoor radon. Residential measurement datasets (Health Canada Cross-Canada, Evict Radon Cross-Canada, C-NRPP, BCRDR, Nova Scotia Community Summary, NBHC) show what indoor radon was actually measured in homes. Both are useful, but they answer different questions: potential maps show where to prioritize attention; measurement datasets show what was actually found.

How does Canadian radon prevalence compare internationally? Canada's residential radon prevalence is among the higher reported levels in OECD countries, particularly in the regions identified above. The WHO Handbook on Indoor Radon (2009) and various international comparative studies place Canada in the upper-prevalence group internationally — see our International Guidelines comparison article for context.

Is occupational radon exposure tracked separately? Yes. CAREX Canada maintains the primary Canadian estimates of occupational radon exposure, drawing on the Health Canada Federal Building Survey and Statistics Canada census data. CAREX estimates approximately 190,000 Canadian workers are exposed to occupational radon. The Occupational Cancer Research Centre's Radon Survey of Workplaces in Ontario is a notable Ontario-specific occupational dataset.

Why do newer Canadian homes appear to have higher radon than older ones? The CMAJ Open 2017 study (Stanley et al.) documented this finding for southern Alberta, and Health Canada's Halifax newer-homes survey reinforced it for Halifax. The likely contributors are tighter building envelopes (which reduce passive air exchange), larger basements with more finished basement living space, and modern open-concept layouts that allow soil-gas-driven radon to circulate widely. The construction-vintage effect is documented enough that "new home = lower radon" is now considered an outdated assumption in Canadian radon literature.

How does construction type (detached vs semi-detached vs row) affect prevalence? The 2024 Evict Radon Cross-Canada Survey found a clear gradient: single-detached > semi-detached > row-style in terms of likelihood of being at or above 200 Bq/m³. This is consistent with construction characteristics — detached homes have more soil contact area and typically larger basements. Row-style and apartment construction generally has less per-unit soil contact.

Can I contribute my home's radon test data to a public dataset? The Evict Radon National Study accepts citizen-science data contributions; see the Evict Radon main page for how to participate. BC homeowners can contribute through BC Lung Foundation programs that feed the BCRDR. RadonTest.ca's $89 all-in long-term test kit is a C-NRPP-listed device that produces lab-analyzed results suitable for personal records and, if you choose, for contribution to research datasets — though contribution is optional and at the homeowner's discretion.

Is there a radon map I can use for my province? British Columbia has the BC Lung Foundation BC Radon Map (the most developed provincial map in Canada). The C-NRPP / CARST National Radon Map provides FSA-level coverage across all provinces. Nova Scotia has a community-level summary statistics map. The Government of Yukon publishes the Yukon Radon Reports. INSPQ is developing a Quebec-specific map. Geological radon-potential maps for parts of Canada exist via NRCan and Radon Environmental.

14. Order your test kit

The single most important takeaway from this entire article: no aggregated dataset, no regional average, no geological map predicts the radon level in your specific home. Test your home.

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15. Important disclaimers

Not medical, legal, or warranty advice. This article is a publicly-sourced reference compiling Canadian radon datasets drawn from Health Canada, the Evict Radon National Study (University of Calgary), Statistics Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, INSPQ, BC Lung Foundation, BCCDC, the New Brunswick Health Council, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Yukon, CARST, the C-NRPP, Take Action on Radon, the Investigative Journalism Bureau, the Canadian Lung Association, CAREX Canada, the Geological Survey of Canada (Natural Resources Canada), and peer-reviewed publications. It is not medical, legal, or warranty advice. Consult qualified professionals for any specific decision.

No regional average predicts any specific home. The single most important caveat in this article: aggregated, regional, provincial, territorial, FSA, or even municipal radon data does not predict the radon level in any specific home. Specific homes in low-prevalence regions routinely test above the Health Canada 200 Bq/m³ guideline; specific homes in high-prevalence regions routinely test below it. Building-specific factors (foundation construction, soil-gas barrier integrity, ventilation patterns, occupancy) can dominate over neighbourhood-level geological averages. The only way to know the radon level in your home is to test your home with a long-term (≥91-day) test in the lowest lived-in level during the heating season.

Statistics and citations. Headline statistics are sourced from primary publications (Health Canada Cross-Canada Survey 2012; Evict Radon Cross-Canada Survey 2024; Statistics Canada Households and the Environment Survey 2019 and 2021; CMAJ Open 2017 (Stanley et al.); Trieu et al. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2024; INSPQ publications; CAREX Canada profiles; New Brunswick Health Council radon indicator; Government of Nova Scotia community-level summary; Government of Yukon radon reports; KFL&A Public Health study; Investigative Journalism Bureau radon-in-public-housing dataset) and from publicly accessible secondary sources (University of Calgary news releases; Lung Saskatchewan summary; BCCDC announcements; Take Action on Radon community-program reports; municipal radon-program announcements). Each statistic in this article is linked to its primary source. Sources update published figures periodically; figures cited reflect the sources as accessed in May 2026.

Data licensing and reuse. Federal Open Government Portal datasets cited above (Health Canada Cross-Canada Survey 2012, Health Canada Radon/Thoron CMA dataset, Health Canada ASD Field Study, Statistics Canada HES, NRCan radiometric data, StatCan boundary files, Public Health Infobase) are published under the Open Government Licence – Canada and are free for reuse with attribution. Non-federal datasets cited above (C-NRPP map, BCRDR, Evict Radon, INSPQ, provincial open-data resources, NGO and citizen-science programs, IJB, commercial maps) are subject to their respective publishers' licensing and reuse rules; cite-and-link is generally permitted but reuse of raw data may require permission from the publisher. RadonTest.ca's catalogue above is a reference, not a republication of any restricted data.

Mitigation cost. Where mitigation cost is referenced, the typical Canadian residential SSD cost range of $2,500–$4,500 reflects typical Canadian pricing as of 2026, drawn from CARST and Health Canada guidance plus general industry observation. Actual quoted prices vary by region, contractor, building condition, and material costs.

Lungs Matter grant. Eligibility, grant amounts, and program availability for the Canadian Lung Association's Lungs Matter program may change. Verify directly at lung.ca before relying on the program.

No diagnosis or treatment claims. RadonTest.ca sells radon test kits. We do not diagnose, treat, or prevent disease.

No warranty as to completeness. RadonTest.ca makes no warranty as to the completeness or accuracy of the information herein and accepts no liability for decisions made in reliance on this article. The dataset catalog above represents publicly available Canadian radon data we are aware of as of May 2026; additional datasets may exist that are not catalogued here, and existing datasets may be updated, withdrawn, or replaced over time. Always verify the current state of any cited dataset directly with the publisher before relying on it.

Report errors or outdated data. If you identify an error, an outdated statistic, or a broken source link in this article, please contact support@radontest.ca so we can review and correct.

This article was last reviewed for accuracy and editorial compliance on 14 May 2026. Annual reviews are scheduled around Canadian Radon Action Month (November).

16. Sources & further reading

Federal Canadian datasets

Mapping infrastructure (Statistics Canada boundary files)

C-NRPP / CARST national database and map

Evict Radon National Study (University of Calgary)

Peer-reviewed publications

Provincial / regional datasets

Industry, NGO, and citizen-science

Commercial / private radon data layers

Geological / radon-potential mapping

International reference

Health authorities and cancer bodies

Related RadonTest.ca articles