A Summary of Residential Radon Surveys and the Influence of Housing Characteristics on Indoor Radon Levels in Canada

Based on community and nationwide radon surveys with long-term radon measurements in a total of 21,818 homes, radon distribution characteristics in Canada have been reassessed with the population-weighted arithmetic mean radon concentration of 82 Bq m(−3), geometric mean radon concentration of 55 Bq m(−3), and geometric standard deviation of 2.45. The major pathway for the influx of radon into Canadian homes is from the surrounding soil. Statistical analysis has shown that radon levels in houses with a basement are, on average, about twice the radon levels in houses without a basement, and houses with private wells also tend to have higher radon concentrations than houses with municipal water supply.