Radon RESEARCH Series
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Understanding radon disparities across urban to rural communities
Not all communities are equivalent in their radon exposure . Across the world , it has been documented that houses in more rural ( less populated ) areas have innately higher radon . The reasons for this have remained relatively unclear .
Over the past three years , we have examined differences in Canadian residential radon gas exposure between different community types ( city versus large town versus small town versus village-hamlet-isolated properties ) across the urban-torural paradigm , classified by Statistics Canada ( based on population density ). We find substantial differences between community types , with people in rural communities in any Canadian province or territory experiencing > 30 % greater levels of residential radon exposure relative to urban populations .
A detailed analysis established that these differences were not explained simply by housing features but rather the combination of two key factors : ( 1 ) rural communities are more likely to contain single-storey , single-detached houses of a larger floorplan ( relative to urban areas ), and ( 2 ) rural community houses are more likely to have a high density of drilled groundwater wells nearby the property , which operate as an ( unintentional ) migration pathway for deep-underground radon levels to reach the upper layers of soil . This work highlights a community-based disparity in Canadian residential radon exposure and a clear need for targeted radon awareness and reduction services in these areas .
THIS WORK IS BEING FUNDED BY :