A new study suggests homes in Calgary and throughout southern Alberta may have dangerously high levels of radon gas.
Radon gas is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas that has been linked to lung cancer.
The study, published by the University of Calgary, tested radon levels in more than 2,300 Calgary and area homes; condominiums, duplexes, townhouses and single-family dwellings were tested for 90 days.
Researchers found no neighbourhood was free from the dangerous gas.
In Calgary, one in eight homes exceeded Health Canada’s acceptable radon levels.
The U of C said remediation was recommended for homes where radon levels were high. Once the remediation was complete, the homes were tested a second time and in all cases, researchers said gas levels returned to a non-hazardous level.
The U of C said the study was one of the largest Canadian municipal studies to date.