Radon in Calgary and Alberta: how to test your home

Radon is found in homes across Alberta. The only way to know the level in your home is to test it. This guide explains how, using information from Health Canada and other public sources.

Airnate is developing a home air monitor. This guide does not depend on it, and you do not need our product to test your home.

Published 6 November 2026. Sources were accessed on 6 November 2026 and are listed at the end of this page.

What radon is

Radon is a radioactive gas. It forms when uranium in soil and rock breaks down, and you cannot see, smell or taste it. Outdoors it is diluted, but in enclosed spaces like homes it can build up to high levels (Health Canada, About radon).

Health Canada calls radon “the #1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers”. It says the cancer risk depends on how much radon there is and how long a person is exposed to it. Health Canada also says that radon exposure combined with tobacco use “can significantly increase” the risk of lung cancer (Health Canada, About radon).

Radon in Calgary and Alberta

Health Canada says radon is found in nearly every home in Canada. Levels vary from one house to another, even between similar homes next door to each other (Health Canada, About radon).

The newest national data comes from the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure in the Residential Buildings of Urban and Rural Communities. Health Canada says the Evict Radon National Study team published it in October 2024, working with staff and researchers at Health Canada and other partners (Health Canada). The study team includes researchers at the University of Calgary. The survey uses long-term tests of 90 days or more, and 99.7% of the tests were done between 2009 and 2024 (2024 survey).

The report’s authors say these results should not be used to judge your personal radon risk, or to decide whether to test a specific home (2024 survey). Health Canada says testing is the only way to be sure of your home’s radon level (Health Canada, About radon).

For houses (single-detached, semi-detached and row houses), the 2024 report found:

Canada: 17.8% of houses have radon at or above the guideline of 200 Bq/m³ (2024 survey).
Alberta: 16.7% of houses (about 1 in 6) at or above 200 Bq/m³, with a weighted average (geometric mean) of 106.1 Bq/m³ (2024 survey).
Calgary metro area: 15.5% of houses at or above 200 Bq/m³, and 36.9% between 100 and 199 Bq/m³. The report gives a weighted average of 102.5 Bq/m³ for the Calgary metro area (2024 survey).
Nearby towns: High River, Okotoks and Strathmore are on the report’s list of towns and cities where between one quarter and one half (25% to 50%) of residences have radon at or above 200 Bq/m³ (2024 survey).
Newer Alberta homes: the report found Alberta household radon levels rise with the year of construction, by 39.2 Bq/m³ (geometric mean) between 1971 and 2024. Homes built recently, tested within a few years of completion, averaged 131.6 Bq/m³ (2024 survey).

How to test your home

Health Canada gives two options: buy a do-it-yourself radon test kit, or hire a radon measurement professional. Either way, it is important to do a long-term test for a minimum of 3 months (Health Canada, Testing your home). Health Canada’s measurement guide says a test should last no less than 91 days, and recommends testing over a period of 3 to 12 months (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes).

Choose a device

Long-term detector: a small device that you leave in place, then mail to a lab. Health Canada says results arrive in 3 to 6 weeks (Health Canada, How to test your home for radon).
Electronic radon monitor: Health Canada says to pick one that has passed C-NRPP performance testing for long-term radon measurement in homes (Health Canada, Testing your home). C-NRPP publishes a list of the consumer monitors it has tested.

When to test

Radon levels go up and down with the weather, with how air moves through the house, and with what people do inside it. Health Canada says a longer test in the fall or winter picks up these seasonal changes and gives the most reliable picture of your home’s average level (Health Canada, Making sense of your electronic radon monitor results). Its measurement guide says testing should be done so that at least 91 days of the test fall in the heating season. A test can start at any time of year, but the guide says tests with fewer than 91 days in the heating season risk underestimating the average annual level (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes).

Where to place it

Health Canada’s brochure recommends a spot (Health Canada, How to test your home for radon):

on the “lowest lived-in level” of the home, such as a bedroom, family room, playroom or finished basement;
at about the height where people breathe, between 0.5 and 2 m above the floor;
resting on a table, shelf or desk, or hung from a wall or the ceiling.

The brochure advises against kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, closets and unfinished basements. It also advises against spots close to windows, doors, vents or outside walls, close to heat sources such as a fireplace or direct sunlight, or close to electronics and appliances (Health Canada, How to test your home for radon). Health Canada’s measurement guide adds that a basement is a possible test location only if it includes a normal occupancy area, which it defines as a space where someone spends more than 4 hours a day (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes).

What your result means

Compare only the long-term average with the guideline (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes). The guideline level for radon in Canada is 200 Bq/m³ (Health Canada, Radon guideline).

200 Bq/m³ or higher: Health Canada says to take action to reduce it within 1 year, with a C-NRPP certified radon mitigation professional (Health Canada, How to test your home for radon). The higher the level, the sooner action should be taken (Health Canada, Radon guideline).
Below 200 Bq/m³: Health Canada says no immediate action is required. Test again after major renovations or energy efficiency retrofits (Health Canada, Making sense of your electronic radon monitor results).

Health Canada also says no level of radon is risk-free, and that lower radon means a lower risk of lung cancer (Health Canada, Making sense of your electronic radon monitor results).

Short-term tests and digital readings

Health Canada says a 3-day or 3-week level from an electronic monitor is only an early indication: do not make any decisions yet, and continue testing for 3 months or longer (Health Canada, Making sense of your electronic radon monitor results). Its guide says short-term measurements are not appropriate for informing mitigation decisions (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes). C-NRPP adds that short-term measurements can be much lower or much higher than your actual average (C-NRPP).

Where to get a test kit or a certified professional in Alberta

Buy a long-term test kit. Health Canada’s testing page links to places that sell kits. The Alberta Lung Association’s radon page also links to a place to buy a long-term test kit.
Borrow a screening kit. The Alberta Lung Association runs a free lending program for radon screening kits at local libraries and select community leagues. Its list of locations includes the Federation of Calgary Communities and locations in Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, High River and Strathmore. The Alberta Lung Association says these kits are for initial screening only, and that a 3-month long-term test is required afterwards (Alberta Lung Association, Radon awareness).
Join a research study. The Evict Radon National Study, a publicly funded research project, offers radon test devices at cost to people who consent to join the study. Participants place the device on the lowest regularly occupied level of the home for 91 days or more (Evict Radon).
Hire a certified professional. If you hire someone to test, Health Canada recommends that they are certified and will do a long-term test for a minimum of 3 months (Health Canada, Testing your home). Use the C-NRPP search tool to find certified professionals near you.

If your level is high

If your result is above 200 Bq/m³, Health Canada says to hire a certified radon professional to find the best and most cost-effective way to lower it. It recommends a contractor certified as a radon mitigation professional by the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program (C-NRPP) (Health Canada, Reducing radon levels in your home).

Health Canada names sub-slab depressurization as the most common method. A pipe runs from beneath the foundation floor to the outdoors, either through an outside wall or up past the roof line, and a small fan moves radon from under the house to the outside. Health Canada says a mitigation system can be put in within a day, and that in most homes it lowers the radon level by more than 80%, at about the same cost as other common home repairs (Health Canada, Reducing radon levels in your home). The Alberta Lung Association gives replacing the furnace or air conditioner as examples of such repairs (Alberta Lung Association, Radon).

After a system is installed, Health Canada recommends testing again to check that it works. With an active soil depressurization system, test every 5 years (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes). Find certified mitigation professionals with the C-NRPP search tool.

Frequently asked questions

How do I test for radon in Calgary?

Buy a do-it-yourself long-term radon test kit, or hire a radon measurement professional (Health Canada, Testing your home). You can find professionals certified by the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program (C-NRPP) with the C-NRPP search tool. Place the device on the “lowest lived-in level” of your home (Health Canada, How to test your home for radon). Leave it for at least 91 days, with at least 91 days of the test in the heating season. Then compare only the long-term average with the Canadian guideline of 200 Bq/m³ (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes).

How long does a radon test take?

Health Canada recommends a test of no less than 91 days (about 3 months), and recommends testing over a period of 3 to 12 months (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes). If you use a long-term detector, you mail it to a lab at the end of the test. Health Canada says results arrive in 3 to 6 weeks (Health Canada, How to test your home for radon).

What radon level does the Health Canada guideline set?

The guideline level for radon in Canada is 200 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³) (Health Canada, Radon guideline). If your long-term result is 200 Bq/m³ or higher, Health Canada says to take action to reduce it within 1 year (Health Canada, How to test your home for radon). The higher the level, the sooner action should be taken (Health Canada, Radon guideline). Health Canada also says that no level of radon is risk-free (Health Canada, Making sense of your electronic radon monitor results).

Can a digital radon detector replace a long-term test?

Not with short readings. Health Canada says a 3-day or 3-week level is only an early indication (Health Canada, Making sense of your electronic radon monitor results), and that short-term measurements are not appropriate for informing mitigation decisions (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes). A digital monitor (electronic radon monitor) can be used for the long-term test itself if it has passed the C-NRPP performance testing and runs for at least 3 months (Health Canada, Testing your home). Compare only its long-term average with the guideline (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes).

I rent my home. Should I test for radon?

Health Canada recommends that everyone test their home. Its testing guide covers individual units in multi-unit buildings, and it says homes above ground level should still be tested. The guide also recommends that all residents are told the radon level, and that the building owner takes steps to reduce exposure if a measurement is above the guideline. These are Health Canada recommendations. They do not describe what Alberta law requires of landlords or tenants, and this is not legal advice (Health Canada, Guide for radon measurements in homes).

Sources

Health Canada, C-NRPP, the Alberta Lung Association, the Evict Radon National Study and the University of Calgary did not write, review or endorse this guide and are not affiliated with Airnate or Dnysus OÜ. This guide summarises their public information and is not an official version of it. It is general information, not medical or legal advice.

All sources accessed 6 November 2026.

Health Canada. About radon. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-risks-safety/radiation/radon/about.html. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Health Canada. Testing your home for radon. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-risks-safety/radiation/radon/testing-your-home.html. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Health Canada. Guide for radon measurements in residential dwellings (homes). https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/health-risks-safety/guide-radon-measurements-residential-dwellings.html. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Health Canada. How to test your home for radon: Using an electronic radon monitor or a long-term detector (brochure, published 2026-02-09). https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/health-risks-safety/using-electronic-radon-monitor-long-term-detector.html. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Health Canada. Your radon test journey: Making sense of your electronic radon monitor results. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/reports-publications/making-sense-electronic-radon-monitor-results-factsheet.html. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Health Canada. Government of Canada radon guideline. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/radiation/radon/government-canada-radon-guideline.html. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Health Canada. Reducing radon levels in your home. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-risks-safety/radiation/radon/reducing-levels-home.html. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Health Canada. Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes – Final Report (page notes on the 2024 survey). https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/reports-publications/radiation/cross-canada-survey-radon-concentrations-homes-final-report-health-canada-2012.html. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Evict Radon National Study (University of Calgary and partners). 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure in the Residential Buildings of Urban and Rural Communities. https://evictradon.org/survey/. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Evict Radon National Study. Home page. https://evictradon.org/. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program (C-NRPP). Find a professional. https://c-nrpp.ca/find-a-professional/. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program (C-NRPP). Consumer-grade electronic radon monitors. https://c-nrpp.ca/consumer-grade-electronic-radon-monitors/. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Alberta Lung Association. Radon. https://ablung.ca/radon/. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Alberta Lung Association. Radon awareness and education (screening kit lending program). https://ablung.ca/program/radon-awareness. Accessed 6 November 2026.