Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in the soil. Exposure to radon increases your lifetime risk of lung cancer.

All of Canada is rather radon rich according to Health Canada who found that nearly 7 per-cent of homes tested in the country had radon levels above the current guideline. Saskatchewan in particular has some of the highest radon levels in all of Canada, it was found that 16 per-cent of households in the province had radon levels above the current guideline laid out by Health Canada.

Health Canada recommends that radon reduction measures should be undertaken in a house whenever the annual average radon concentration exceeds 200 Bq/m³ in areas of the home where you spend more than four hours per day. In Canada the guideline for acceptable radon levels is 200 Bq/m³, however the World Health Organization recommends no more than 100 Bq/m³.

Not many people realize that their households may have radon gas, and that radon gas is the second leading contributing factor to lung cancer after tobacco", says Dr. David Torr, Consulting Medical Health Officer for the Cypress Health Region. "We live in a radon rich area, and the gas can easily accumulate in our households, more-so in winter when windows and doors are kept shut to keep out the cold. Worse still, we cannot see, smell or taste radon gas but it is a source of radiation that can lead to lung cancer with high levels of exposure over a period of time. The best first step is to test your household for radon, and if the levels are high, look into ways to reduce these levels."

While living with radon exposure above the set guidelines can give you a 1 in 5 chance of getting lung cancer, if you smoke as well, your chances can go up as much as 6 times. There is an estimated 100 lung cancer deaths each year in Saskatchewan that are attributed to radon exposure.

Most measures to reduce radon in a household can be completed within 1-2 days with a typical cost of $1500-2500. Do-it-yourself kits can also be purchased. Dr. Torr mentioned he has seen people with radon levels as high as 3000 Bq/m³ reduce their radon levels to 70 Bq/m³ just by adding a special cover to their sump pump.