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Radon Mitigation and Testing in Airdrie
About three in four Airdrie homes went up in 2001 or later (Statistics Canada), and Alberta's newer houses tend to hold more radon than its older ones (2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon). RadonCare is based in Airdrie, and our crews test and mitigate homes in every part of the city and north to Crossfield. Questions about a test or a result? Call us.
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Got a reading from a library radon detector? Call and talk to a radon expert about what it means for your home.
On this page: Our Results · Radon Levels · Testing · Building Code · FAQ · Free Quote
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Our Radon Mitigation Work in Airdrie
Just a Few of Our Results From the Area
Airdrie is our own backyard. We've put systems into homes in Coopers Crossing, Bayside, Williamstown, Reunion and most of the neighbourhoods in between, and out in Crossfield and on the acreages. When Airdrie owners send a lab test back after the install, three out of four land under 30 Bq/m³, and nine out of ten land under 50.
Each system is designed for the house it goes in. Canada's national standard for radon mitigation (CAN/CGSB-149.12-2024, section 1) says a system that is properly designed and installed by certified professionals can lower radon by about 90% or more. How well a system works comes down to who designs and installs it. We've lowered the radon in every home and commercial building we've ever worked on. Every system we install comes with guaranteed results.
Tricky homes are the ones our technicians enjoy most. Even after more than 3,000 homes, we still run into something new now and then, and when we do, the whole team works on it together, so every job has the experience of all our crews across Alberta and BC behind it.
The Five Homes Below
Before Mitigation
173 to 450Bq/m³
After
<12 to 25Bq/m³
450→<12Bq/m³
Bi-level, northwest Airdrie
1990s · bi-level · developed lower level
A five-month lab test before, and a seven-and-a-half-month lab test after. Besides the suction point, we sealed open spots under the furnace, the stairs and the tub.
318→25Bq/m³
Acreage walkout, Rocky View County west of Airdrie
1980s · walkout · boiler heat, no furnace
Gravel and sand under the slab. A long-term monitor reading before, a lab test after.
209→22Bq/m³
Two-storey, southwest Airdrie
Late 2010s · builder's radon rough-in · basement being finished
The code's capped pipe was already there, and the home still needed a fan.
365→16Bq/m³
New home, Crossfield
2020s · newly built
Tested on the owner's long-term digital monitor, before and after.
173→20Bq/m³
Newer two-storey, southwest Airdrie
2020s · finished basement · HRV
Under the guideline to start with, and still worth taking lower: the lab test after came back at 20.
All five pairs of numbers are real Bq/m³ readings from these homes, taken with lab detectors or digital monitors. The under-30 and under-50 shares come from our job records and the lab reports of Airdrie homes that retested with us. To keep owners private, the house details are rounded off, and the photos are from our installs in the Airdrie area, not always the home on the card.
Have a result over 200 Bq/m³, or not sure what yours means? Call us and we'll talk it through.
Radon Levels in Airdrie
What Local Tests Have Found
In the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon, roughly one home in six across Airdrie's census division, the Calgary region, reached Health Canada's 200 Bq/m³ guideline or higher. A University of Calgary study that counted Airdrie homes on their own found fewer, about one in nine.
The survey pooled over 17,000 tests from the division but gives Airdrie no line of its own. The study, an earlier one, left detectors in Airdrie homes for at least 90 days between 2013 and 2016. About half of those homes were at or above 100 Bq/m³, the World Health Organization's reference level, and the highest read 326.
The study was small and is about ten years old: read it as a hint about Airdrie, not a verdict on your street. Neighbours on the same block can test very differently, so the only number that counts is a long-term test in your own house. See how other parts of Alberta compare.
Homes That Tested High
Calgary Region, Cross-Canada Survey
1 in 6
Airdrie, University of Calgary Study
1 in 9
Airdrie, Same Study, 100 or Higher
About Half
The Calgary region, census division 6, which takes in Airdrie: 17,203 homes in the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon (p.70), 17.1% of them at 200 Bq/m³ or more, a geometric-mean average of 102.8 and a top reading of 7,199. Airdrie on its own: 37 homes tested for 90 days or more between 2013 and 2016, 11% at 200 or more, 54% at 100 or more and a top reading of 326 (Stanley and others, CMAJ Open, 2017, Figure 2).
What Your Radon Level Means
From Fresh Air to Canada's Guideline
Radon is measured in becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³). Here is where a long-term result sits next to the levels that matter in Canada, drawn to scale up to 300.
radoncare.ca
5 to 30
85
100
102.8
148 US
200
300
How Homes Here Tested
Share of homes tested in each range of radon levels (Bq/m³)
Airdrie
46%
43%
11%
Under 100
100 to 199
200+
Calgary region
45.4%
37.6%
17.1%
Under 100
100 to 199
200+
About 5 to 30Bq/m³
Fresh outdoor air. Radon from the ground gets diluted in open air, and the level changes from day to day and from region to region.
85Bq/m³
The average Canadian home.
100Bq/m³
The reference level the World Health Organization suggests for countries.
102.8Bq/m³
The average home tested in the Calgary region, census division 6, which takes in Airdrie (2024 survey).
148Bq/m³
The level where the US Environmental Protection Agency says to fix a home. A US number, shown for reference: Canada uses Health Canada's guideline.
200Bq/m³ (5.4 pCi/L)
Health Canada's guideline. Above it, Health Canada recommends lowering your level within a year, and sooner the higher it is.
300Bq/m³
The upper limit the World Health Organization and European rules set for a country's reference level.
200 is not the goal. Health Canada says no level of radon is risk free, and 200 is not a recommended stopping point if your home can reasonably go lower.
Above 300: How High Radon Can Go
Not drawn to scale
800Bq/m³
Canada's guideline from 1988 to 2007, before it was lowered to 200.
7,199Bq/m³
The highest home tested in the Calgary region, census division 6, in the 2024 survey.
32,321Bq/m³
The highest Canadian home tested in the 2024 survey.
All levels are long-term averages, which is how Health Canada compares a home with its guideline. Sources: Health Canada (200) and its 2012 survey report (800 until 2007), the BC Centre for Disease Control (fresh air, which it puts at about 5 to 15; outdoor levels change from day to day and region to region, so we show a wider band), the World Health Organization and the US EPA (148, for reference), EU Directive 2013/59/Euratom (100 and 300, for reference), and the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon (85, 102.8, 7,199 and 32,321, and how homes here tested). How homes here tested, also: University of Calgary study (CMAJ Open, 2017).
Radon Testing in Airdrie
The Best Way to Test
Want a number you can act on? Order our long-term test kit, the kind of test Health Canada recommends. Set it in your basement, or whatever lowest level your family uses, leave it for three months or more through an Airdrie winter, and mail it to the lab in the prepaid envelope. When the result comes back, call us and a radon expert will go over what it means for your house.
Long-Term Radon Test Kit
Lab analysis and a prepaid return envelope included. Free shipping in Alberta and BC.
$54.99
Order a Test KitPrefer to watch your levels on a screen? We also sell digital monitors, like the Airthings Corentium Home. It passed C-NRPP's testing of home radon monitors.
Free Ways to Test in Airdrie and Crossfield
Borrow a detector from the library. Airdrie readers have two to choose from. The public library has its own digital radon detector, and as members of the Marigold Library System, the Airdrie and Crossfield libraries can also get you one of Marigold's 18 radon kits for three weeks. Ask about the waiting list first: in radon season these get booked up.
- Airdrie Public Library, in the Inspire building at 805 Main Street SW: its own detector, for Airdrie Public Library card holders, not lent from May 1 to September 8. RadonCare has donated radon detectors to Airdrie Public Library, so Airdrie residents can borrow one and test their home.
- Marigold radon kits, October to April: place a hold by searching "Marigold Radon Detector" in the TRACpac catalogue, for pickup at the Airdrie or Crossfield library
Know a library or community centre that could use a radon detector? RadonCare may be able to donate one for your community to borrow. Contact us to ask.
When to Test in Airdrie
Start a test in the heating season, fall or winter, when the windows stay shut: that is when Health Canada recommends a long-term test. The library detectors follow the same calendar. Airdrie Public Library takes its detector off the shelf from May to early September, saying summer readings are less accurate, and Marigold lends its kits only from October to April.
Just moved into a new build? A new house is no reason to wait. Put a long-term test down the first fall you live there, in the basement if anyone spends time down there.
Child care. Alberta has no radon testing rule for child care: a 2017 law that would have required it was repealed at the end of 2023 without coming into force (Alberta King's Printer). More on child care and schools.
Free detectors from your library are a good first look. Be careful with a free test from a company that also sells radon systems: a test of only a few days, or a detector in the wrong spot, can show a problem a proper test would not. More on what a short test can and cannot tell you.
Where Radon Comes From in Airdrie
The uranium in soil and rock decays slowly into radon gas. Airdrie is built on glacial till, ground that ice sheets dragged and smoothed into long low ridges, laid over the sandstone, siltstone and mudstone of the Paskapoo Formation, the same bedrock that runs under Calgary and Cochrane (Alberta Geological Survey surficial and bedrock maps). Maps at that scale describe the whole region, though, not your lot, and houses a few doors apart can still test very differently.
Airdrie is part of a region with high radon by Canadian standards: in the 2024 survey, the Calgary and Edmonton metro areas had the highest average home radon levels of Canada's six largest metropolitan areas (p.40).
Health Canada says radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in people who don't smoke. Radon has no symptoms, so a test is the only way to know. For questions about radon and your health, talk to your doctor or call Health Link at 811. More on radon and your health.
“Radon … is prevalent in the North American Prairies.”
University of Calgary study of Calgary-area homes, including Airdrie, CMAJ Open, 2017
Airdrie Homes and What They Mean for Radon
One of Alberta's Newest Cities
About 3 in 4 occupied homes in Airdrie were built in 2001 or later, against fewer than 2 in 5 across Alberta, and fewer than 1 in 10 date from before 1981 (Statistics Canada, 2021 census). Newer is not safer. The 2024 survey found newer Alberta homes tend to test higher (p.51-52), and across the Calgary-area homes in the University of Calgary study, homes built in 1992 or later averaged 142 Bq/m³, against 108 for older ones.
Hanging Furnaces
About half of the Airdrie job reports that note it show a gap under the furnace that we had to seal (our job records). In many Calgary-area homes built before about 2020, the furnace was hung from the floor joists before the basement concrete went in, and the concrete didn't always fill in underneath. That leaves a gap to the soil below the furnace, where the furnace's blower motor can mine radon into the home and push it through the ducts, sometimes making the main floor read higher than the basement. We check under the furnace on every install, and if there's a gap, we fill it with poured concrete. The slab is often left open around the drain under a basement tub too, and we close that as well.
Sump Pits
About 1 in 15 of our Airdrie jobs had a sump pit (our job records). An open pit is an easy way in for radon, and Alberta's building code requires sump pit covers to be airtight. The lid also has to stay easy to take off, because the pump needs a check every year. Learn more about sealing a sump pit for radon.
Heat Recovery Ventilators
About 1 in 4 of the Airdrie homes in our job reports has a heat recovery ventilator, or HRV. Canada's radon mitigation standard asks for an HRV to be balanced, and warns that equipment pulling the house into strong negative pressure may let more radon in (CAN/CGSB-149.12-2024, sections 6.1.3 and 6.1.4), so we check it on every install. In one Airdrie home, the HRV had been hooked up backwards and hadn't worked for five years. We fixed it on install day.
Crossfield's Older Homes
Crossfield is a different mix. About 1 in 4 of its homes were built before 1981, more than twice Airdrie’s share (Statistics Canada, 2021 census). If yours has an addition or a converted garage, each part can sit on its own foundation, so we sometimes spot-test the addition as well as the basement before we design the system.
Row Houses and Townhomes
About 1 in 7 Airdrie homes is a row house, and about 1 in 8 is an apartment in a low-rise building (Statistics Canada, 2021 census). In a townhome, start with a test of your own unit, on its lowest level (more on condos, townhomes and renters). In a duplex or townhome, radon can be very different from one side to the other, so a neighbour's result doesn't tell you yours. Both sides should test.
Where the Radon Fan Is Installed
In the US, radon fans are often mounted outside. Canada's radon standard doesn't allow that anywhere as cold as Airdrie (CAN/CGSB-149.12-2024, section 5.8.1.1; National Building Code of Canada 2020, Appendix C, Table C-2), so here the fan is installed in a heated space, usually a basement, a utility room or a heated garage. We use fans designed for radon mitigation, so they're sealed properly and won't leak.
Acreages Around Airdrie
Homes inside the city get their water from the City of Calgary, piped in by the City of Airdrie, so wells are not a city question. If your acreage home in Rocky View County is on a private well, test the house: when University of Calgary researchers compared country and city homes across Canada in a 2024 study, the rural ones ran higher on average, and drilled wells close by explained a good part of the gap.
What We Find Under Airdrie Floors
Nearly every Airdrie home we've opened up has gravel under the basement floor (our job records). Gravel lets air move freely, so one suction point usually reaches the whole slab, and nearly every Airdrie system we've installed runs on a standard radon fan, not a stronger one. Why it matters: how a radon system works.
Radon and the Building Code in Airdrie
What New Homes Need, and Since When
Airdrie kept building fast after Alberta brought in the radon rough-in. About 1 in 6 of the homes counted in Airdrie in 2021 went up between 2016 and that census (Statistics Canada), and most of those should have the capped pipe in the basement floor. That pipe on its own does nothing until a fan is added, so a new Airdrie house is still an untested house.
Radon Rough-In Required
New Homes in Alberta, Since
2015
Fan Required by Code
Still No
Code Dates for Airdrie
- May 1, 2015: Alberta's first radon rough-in, a capped pipe through the basement floor. Airdrie builders could still work to the older code until November 1, 2015, so an Airdrie home the builder applied to build after that date must have it (Government of Alberta).
- December 1, 2019: For homes the builder applied to build from that date, the pipe also has to be labelled, so the next Airdrie owner knows what it is (Government of Alberta).
- May 1, 2024: The code in force today, for any Airdrie home the builder applied to build from that date. The rough-in carries on, and a fan is still not required (Government of Alberta).
What It Means for Your Home
If your Airdrie home has the rough-in, treat it as a head start, not a radon system. A test tells you whether it needs a fan, and if it does, we check the builder's pipe before we put it to work. More on radon in the Alberta Building Code.
Who Inspects New Homes Around Airdrie
Inside the city, the City of Airdrie sends its own inspectors to new homes at the stages it lists, from the foundation to the final visit. Balzac and the acreages around the city are in Rocky View County, and Crossfield is its own town. The radon rules are the same in all three, because the Alberta code applies across the province.
Radon in Alberta: The Bigger Picture
What your number means, how a system works, the price, grants and the rules for buying or selling a home are the same across Alberta, so they're on one page: What your level means · Radon and your health · How mitigation works · What changes the price · Grants and help paying · Alberta code history · Buying or selling · More radon questions
Airdrie Radon Questions
Is Radon a Problem in Airdrie?
Yes. Airdrie as a whole tests lower than some of the areas around it, like Cochrane, but in a University of Calgary study about 1 in 2 Airdrie homes were at or above the World Health Organization's reference level of 100 Bq/m³, and about 1 in 9 were above Health Canada's guideline of 200. Across the Calgary region, the 2024 national survey found about 1 in 6 above 200.
Is RadonCare Based in Airdrie?
Yes. RadonCare started in the Calgary area, and we're based here, so our crews are never far away. We don't run a storefront: call us, and a radon expert will answer your questions.
My Newer Airdrie Home Has a Radon Pipe. Do I Still Need to Test?
Yes. That pipe is the builder meeting the code, and the code stops short of a fan, so the pipe sits capped in your basement doing nothing. We see these in Airdrie homes all the time, and a capped pipe tells you nothing about your level. Test, and if it comes back high, we check whether the builder's pipe can be put to work.
Where Does the Radon Pipe Go in an Airdrie Home?
Almost always out a side wall, with the fan kept inside, often in the mechanical room beside the furnace and water heater. Finished basement? We plan the route with you, through a utility room or under the stairs, so it disappears as much as the house allows.
Should I Test Before Finishing My Airdrie Basement?
Yes, test before the walls go up. A long-term test takes three months or more, so start it the fall before you plan to start the work, if you can. If the result is high, a system is simpler to put in while the basement is open, and we can run the pipe where the new walls will hide it.
Where Can I Borrow a Radon Detector in Airdrie?
Airdrie Public Library lends its own detector to its card holders, except from May 1 to September 8, and Marigold Library System's kits can be held through the TRACpac catalogue from October to April. See Free Ways to Test. Borrowed detectors give you a quick read; to decide on a system, follow up with three months or more on a long-term test.
Do You Work in Crossfield, Balzac and Rocky View County?
Yes. We work across Airdrie and in Crossfield, Balzac and the acreages of Rocky View County around them. Closer to the city? See our Calgary page; west of here, our Cochrane page. Not on the map below? Give us a call.
How Much Does Radon Mitigation Cost in Airdrie?
A radon system costs a fraction of the price of air conditioning. What sets the price is the house itself. In most Airdrie homes we find gravel under the floor and no sump, which keeps the work simple; an open cavity under the furnace is the extra spot we seal most often. Tell one of our radon experts about your basement over the phone, and often we can quote the job during that same call. See what changes the price.
Why Doesn't RadonCare Offer Free Radon Tests?
We would rather your first number be one you can trust. A test worth acting on sits in the lowest level your family lives in for three months or more, and we only suggest a system when a result like that shows your home needs one. For a free first look, borrow Airdrie Public Library's detector or a Marigold kit, then follow up with a long-term test.
Is There a Grant for Radon Mitigation in Airdrie?
At the time of writing (October 2026), we have found no radon mitigation grant from the City of Airdrie or the Government of Alberta, and no regional one. Know of one we missed? Let us know. Two charities can help: the Canadian Lung Association's Lungs Matter program, if you have been diagnosed with lung cancer, or your household has a low to moderate income, and Alberta Lung, in radon season, if you have been affected by lung cancer. See grants and help paying.
Areas We Serve Around Airdrie
We work in every Airdrie neighbourhood: Coopers Crossing, Bayside, Bayview, Baysprings, Canals, Hillcrest, Sagewood, Morningside, South Point, Southwinds, Windsong, South Windsong, Midtown, Old Town, the Village, Edgewater, Meadowbrook, Jensen, Thorburn, Summerhill, Willowbrook, Big Springs, Fairways, Silver Creek, Ridgegate, Sunridge, Waterstone, Williamstown, Reunion, Woodside, Luxstone, Kings Heights, Ravenswood, Chinook Gate, Prairie Springs, Key Ranch, Wildflower, Cobblestone Creek and the country-residential estates inside the city limits. Outside the city, we work in Crossfield, Balzac and the Rocky View County acreages in between.
Nearby Areas We Serve
Outside This Map? We Work Across Alberta and the BC Interior.
Our crews also work in Red Deer, Okotoks and Edmonton, and across the BC Interior. Not sure about your town? Call 1‑844‑723‑6622.
Radon in the Local News
DiscoverAirdrie, October 24, 2024From urban to rural: Radon levels are on the rise according to new studyOn the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey and what it found for the Calgary area, Airdrie included.
Airdrie City View, March 7, 2024Researcher shares where the radon hotspots are in AlbertaA University of Calgary researcher on radon in southern Alberta, and borrowing a kit from the library.
DiscoverAirdrie, October 31, 2018During November, Take Action Against Dangerous RadonDiscoverAirdrie interviewed one of RadonCare’s founders for this Radon Action Month story.
DiscoverAirdrie, March 29, 2017Study Shows High Levels of Radon Gas In Southern Alberta HomesThe University of Calgary study that tested homes in Calgary, Airdrie and Cochrane.
Get a Free Quote or Ask a Question
Fill out the form and a radon expert will get in touch to answer your questions. Prefer to talk? Call 1‑844‑723‑6622.
About RadonCare
We've lowered the radon in every building we've ever worked on: more than 3,000 homes across Alberta and British Columbia, plus schools, apartment buildings and government buildings. We started out in heating and ventilation, so our team of C-NRPP certified professionals designs every system from how air actually moves through your house, and we aim for the lowest level your home can reasonably reach, not just under the guideline. From your first test to a system built for your home, the results are guaranteed. RadonCare is a five-time Consumer Choice Award winner, and we're involved in Canada's radon industry, with seats on the CARST board of directors and the C-NRPP advisory board.
Updated October 2026