Radon in Newfoundland public housing a reminder of urgent national problem: experts

The offshore supply ship Paul A. Sacuta is seen moored in the port of St. John's, Nfld., Friday, June 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

ST. JOHN’S — The Newfoundland and Labrador government recently found hazardous levels of a cancer-causing gas in some of its public housing units, prompting some experts to call for mandatory testing across the country.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corp. tested for radon in 172 of its housing units as part of a pilot program with Health Canada and found 23 had levels exceeding federal health guidelines and needing remediation, a spokesperson said.

The public housing authority included some of those test results in a post to the provincial procurement website last month, looking for tenders from contractors that could install mitigation systems.

Kelley Bush, manager of Health Canada’s national radon outreach program, applauded Newfoundland and Labrador’s efforts and said provinces are stepping up to test public housing for the deadly, odourless gas. But she said there is more work to be done.

“The ideal is every single one, right?” she said in a recent interview. “So we’ll continue to encourage them, but we’re definitely seeing action being taken in that area.”

Radon is a radioactive gas produced naturally when uranium breaks down in the ground, according to Health Canada. Outside, it’s diluted and it doesn’t pose a threat. But inside, radon can accumulate to dangerous levels.

The gas decays into radioactive components that can damage the lungs when they are inhaled. That damage can lead to lung cancer.

Health Canada says radon exposure leads to an estimated 16 per cent of lung cancers in Canada, resulting in about 3,200 deaths each year — more than deaths from car accidents, carbon monoxide and house fires combined.

It is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the only way to find it is to test for it, Bush said.

The Canadian Press asked the provinces about the last time they tested for radon in their public housing units and whether they tested regularly. Though details were sparse, housing authorities in several provinces — including British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia — have testing strategies, according to government spokespeople.

Saskatchewan began an effort in 2024 to test all of its public housing over the next decade. Manitoba Housing ended systematic testing in 2021, but it is working toward more regular testing.

Quebec tested several apartment buildings in the Gaspé Peninsula in 2014, and then began testing all of its low-income housing in 2016.

Ontario’s public housing is managed by regional authorities. Alberta and Prince Edward Island did not respond.

No provinces mention radon or radiation in their residential tenancies acts or their public housing legislation.

Pam Warkentin, executive director of the Canadian Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists, agreed that provinces have made headway testing their housing units for radon. However, she said it was hard to tell which provinces, if any, have tested all of their housing units.

“We know it’s going on, but often (the people we work with) won’t be able to share the information with us publicly,” Warkentin said in an email.

Jacqueline Wilson, a lawyer with the Canadian Environmental Law Association, said provinces should require testing in public housing and introduce rules requiring landlords to test and mitigate.

“The conditions in your home need to be safe, for all tenants across the country. This is a safety issue,” Wilson said in a recent interview. “We have a particular concern about tenants … because of the additional problem that you don’t have control over the unit.”

Warkentin agreed.

“We do need legislation for landlords,” she said. “We know that some landlords are testing, but many will only take action if there is a requirement.”

Health Canada offers voluminous guidelines about radon, but there are few jurisdictions with laws dictating when and where buildings should be tested and mitigated, Wilson said.

The building code in Ontario, for example, requires testing in new buildings, but only in three parts of the province, she said.

“There should be general requirements to get information about whether this is an issue, and then it can be dealt with,” she said. “It really does deserve much more data and response.”

The Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corp. began testing for radon in 2023, spokesperson Nancy Walsh said in an email.

The results posted on the province’s public procurement website showed radon levels ranging from 206 becquerels per cubic metre in the living room of a house in eastern Newfoundland to 448 becquerels per cubic metre in an apartment building in Stephenville, N.L.

Health Canada recommends remediation within a year for any radon levels found to be above 200 becquerels per cubic metre.

As of late May, the housing corporation had installed mitigation systems in 11 homes and work was underway in another four, Walsh said. All remediation work is expected to be complete by the end of the summer.

Tenants were informed of the results in their unit, and nobody has to move while remediation work is done, Walsh said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2026.

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press