Radon testing in St. John's

Health Canada's 2012 survey found 4% of 100 homes tested in the Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority health region above the guideline. In the City of St. John's free test-kit program, about 345 kits went out in November 2024 and 278 homes completed testing over the winter; about one in ten of them were above Health Canada's 200 Bq/m³ guideline. The participants were volunteers, so it isn't a random survey.

No survey can tell you about a single house, because neighbouring homes can differ widely. Testing is the only way to know.

• Use a long-term test of at least three months, with most of it in the heating season, which gives the most conservative result.
• Place the detector in the lowest level you spend four or more hours a day in, away from drafts, and follow the kit's instructions.
• If the result is above 200 Bq/m³, Health Canada recommends fixing it within a year, sooner if it's much higher.

Our full radon testing guide.

• There's no provincial kit program; several NL public libraries lend radon monitors.
• The City of St. John's has run free radon kit programs for residents, including about 250 kits in its November 2025 round.
• For a professional measurement or mitigation, search the C-NRPP directory by your St. John's postal code; it lists certified measurement and mitigation professionals.

• Newfoundland and Labrador leaves building rules for new houses to municipal by-laws, so radon measures in new homes depend on the municipality.
• The Canadian Lung Association's Lungs Matter program offers up to $1,500 toward mitigation for households with low to moderate incomes or a lung cancer diagnosis.
• If your level is high, mitigation (usually a sub-slab depressurization fan system installed by a C-NRPP-certified professional) typically costs $2,000–$4,000.