Radon

Have you tested for radon in your home?

You can’t smell it, taste it or see it! So why is radon an important gas to monitor?

Radon is formed from the breakdown of uranium in our ground. Here in the BC Interior, radon levels are considered high. Because radon can get trapped in our households, it can become a health risk.

Long term exposure to radon is the main cause of lung cancer for non-smokers. The risk of developing lung cancer depends on how much radon is in the air you breathe indoors, as well as how long the exposure is. 16% of lung cancer deaths in Canada are due to indoor radon exposure.

To measure the radon in our home, we are using the @airthings Wave Plus device.

The Wave Plus is a smart air quality monitor that includes radon detection, as well as sensors for temperature, humidity, TVOCs, air pressure, and CO2.

I just set it up today and it was easy to connect it to my phone. Soon I will be able to visualize the radon data and observe trends in my home environment.

The calibration period for the device is 7 days, and the air has to be measured for at least 30 days. The sensor collects hourly air samples and is designed for long term measuring. This means the longer the measurement, the more data points, and the more accurate the long term average becomes.