We have just moved to the Kootenays from Edmonton and we’re looking for a house to purchase but we’ve heard there is radon gas in a few of the homes in this area and we’re wondering how we can avoid buying a house with this problem.

The West Kootenay region has a significant concentration of radon gas caused by the decay of uranium deposits beneath its soil. It may be more accurate to suggest that most buildings in this area (and in some other areas of our province) have some amount of radon gas present in the indoor air. The critical piece of information we are all missing is the amount or concentration of gas in each individual building, To complicate matters, the amount of radon gas can vary significantly from one building to another building right next door. So you can’t rely on hearsay or a neighbour’s’ test results for gas levels in your home. Of course, the lower the concentration of gas, the less risk to which you are exposed.

Unfortunately, there is no quick, inexpensive way to test an individual house that you are thinking of purchasing. Some homeowners may have already tested their house for radon levels, so it is worth asking if they have this information. Low readings or high reading mitigation (like subsoil de-pressurization or concrete slab seals) can encourage a potential purchaser by replacing their concern with a specific answer.

Although there are inexpensive short-term test kits available (7 to 10-day kits), the shorter the test sample taken, the less you can count on the accuracy of the test data. The best test kits sample the buildings’ radon content for at least six months. This sampling period should be spread over two seasons. The ideal timeframe for testing is a period of three months when the doors and windows are often open and three months when the building is more or less sealed. This provides you with the most accurate sample of the buildings’ average radon concentration.

As well, the location of your test kit matters. It should be located about five feet off the floor in a place not directly exposed to outdoor air currents. You will probably get the highest readings at the lowest floor area, for instance, the basement. But if you are not using this space for daily living then it may be more relevant to test the floor area on which you spend most of your time or test each floor area separately. If your test results are high, there are ways you can reduce these levels to acceptable standards. In other words, even if you purchase a home with a high radon gas concentration, the problem can be controlled and mitigated.