RADON TESTING MAY - AUGUST?: 6 MONTH RADON TEST ENCOURAGED  

Thank you for your interest in testing with the Evict Radon National Study

The Evict Radon National Study is a national research study involving researchers and scientific partners from across Canada who are dedicated to solving Canada’s significant and worsening radon-gas exposure problem. Radon is a substantial cause of lung cancer even in non-smokers. By testing your home with our at-cost, research-grade radon test kits and enrolling in our national, public university-based research study, you are helping researchers from across Canada to understand radon exposure and develop new ways to protect ourselves and loved ones.

Common practice stated that winter is the optimal time to radon test. However, as we collect more data, we have determined little difference between winter and spring radon testing. We do, however, encourage our participants to test over seasonal change. At this time, the best and most accurate radon readings obtained during the spring and summer months are those that are longer than 6 months. 

Purchase my test
Purchase my test

The genetic mutations caused by repetitive exposure of lung cells to alpha particle radiation from radon will drive cancer formation. Depending on dose, it can take 1-3 decades before lung cancer is diagnosed.

  • Radon is classified as a category 1 carcinogen (cancer causing agent) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Category 1 is only assigned to carcinogens that research and medicine has established to cause cancer in humans and animals with no doubts whatsoever.
  • Like many environmental lung carcinogens, such as tobacco or asbestos, it is repetitive exposure to radon that is relevant to increasing relative lifetime risk of cancer.
  • Cancer occurs when genetic mutations impact how a cell grows, divides and/or spreads. When more genetic mutations accumulate over time, the risk of a cell becoming cancer increases.
  • The chances of getting a radon-induced lung cancer depend on the dose and duration of exposure, with higher exposures for longer periods meaning more genetic mutations greater cancer risk. Dose-for-dose, particle radiation causes a lot more genetic mutations than simple x-rays.

Radon is the 2nd leading cause of all lung cancers and is the primary cause of disease in never-smokers. In Canada, this has accounts for 110,000 cases since 2001 –an enormous burden of disease.

The connection between residential radon and lung cancer was proven directly by several large studies each involving >10,000 lung cancer patients and another >10,000 healthy controls.

The data indicated that there is a ~16% increase in relative lifetime risk of lung cancer for every 100 Bq/m3 of long term radon exposure.

References: Krewski, et al. Residential radon and risk of lung cancer: a combined analysis of 7 North American case-control studies. Epidemiology 16, 137-45 (2005) and also Darby et al. Radon in homes and risk of lung cancer: collaborative analysis of individual data from 13 European case-control studies. Brit. Med. J. 330, 223 (2005).  

No Results