This Health Canada guidance is intended to “reduce the public health burden from exposure to radioactive radon gas.” (See page 3 of the attached Health Canada Guidance clarification and associated references.) CELA has also had the benefit of reviewing the anticipated submission on this consultation by the Ontario Public Health Association, and we support their recommendation for a post- construct. [...] Health Canada’s Radon Guideline includes the following recommendations: 1) you take corrective action if the average annual radon level exceeds 200 Bq/m³ in the normal occupancy area of a building 2) you take corrective action sooner, the higher the radon level is 3) the corrective action should reduce the radon concentration as much as is practicable 4) the construction of new buildings use techn. [...] Page 2 of 4 Rationale for National Building Code Update Recent data suggest that existing radon control measures adopted in the 2010 National Building Code (a capped pipe stub through the slab into the gravel layer and a sealed radon gas barrier above the gravel layer and below the concrete slab) are neither reducing residential radon exposures nor decreasing the incidence of homes with high radon. [...] Three levels of radon control measures for new housing construction are described in the Health Canada Guide for Radon Measurements in Residential Dwellings[14], listed in order of increasing effectiveness at minimizing radon ingress that will reduce radon levels in homes post-occupancy. [...] With the radon levels in homes remaining a substantial health risk to Canadians, Health Canada recommends that systems proven to reduce radon levels (passive[15] or active[16] soil depressurization) be instead included in the 2025 National Building Code to reduce the public health burden from exposure to radioactive radon gas.
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- Canada
