Radon is a chemical element with symbol Rn. It is a noble gas, colorless, odorless and radioactive occurring mostly naturally as the decay product of radium but also uranium.
Because it is a little heavier than air, radon is more likely to settle and cause harm in a building’s low, non-ventilated area, such as a basement. Enough radon gas can seeps out of soil into basements and crawl to pose a health risk to homes residents
Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Therefore it’s important to perform test to know if there is a risk and if radon level need to be reduced
Risk and consequences related to radon are well documented by public organization:
Health Canada
U.S. National Cancer Institute
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Cancer Care Ontario
Health Canada recommends radon level 200 Bq/m³ (5.4 pCi/L) as an upper limit, while the US Environmental Protection Agency fixed the limit to 4.0 pCi/L (148 Bq/m³)
Conversion rate between theses two unit is: 1 pCi/L = 37 Bq/m³