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Radon Mitigation and Testing in Cochrane
A University of Calgary study found Cochrane homes had the highest average radon of any area it tested in southern Alberta (CMAJ Open, 2017). With high water tables, plenty of walkouts and a town that has doubled since 2011, Cochrane homes have their own reasons to test. RadonCare tests and fixes radon in homes all over Cochrane and out to Bragg Creek and Springbank. Questions about a test or a result? Call us.
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On this page: Our Results · Radon Levels · Radon by Area · Testing · Building Code · FAQ · Free Quote
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Our Radon Mitigation Work in Cochrane
Just a Few of Our Results From the Area
Cochrane keeps our crews busy. Our systems are running in Bow Meadows, West Pointe, Riviera, Precedence, Rivercrest and the newer streets in between, from 1960s homes to houses so new the builder's pipe was still capped. Cochrane homes tend to start higher (see the University of Calgary study below), and about 3 in 4 whose owners mailed in a lab test after we finished came in under 50 Bq/m³, a quarter of Health Canada's guideline.
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
170 to 657Bq/m³
After
<15 to 43Bq/m³
657→18Bq/m³
Late-1960s home, Cochrane
1960s · finished basement · open floor under the furnace
More than three times the guideline on a long-term test. Along with the suction point, we sealed the open ground under the furnace, and a lab test afterwards read 18. (Photo: a similar install in Bragg Creek.)
256→20Bq/m³
Walkout, Cochrane
2020s · walkout · sump pit sealed
The owner's monitor read 256 on average over about three months. The sump went under a sealed lid as part of the system.
213→26Bq/m³
New two-storey, Cochrane
2020s · brand-new build · builder's rough-in
The capped pipe was already in the floor, and the house still tested over the guideline in its first fall.
170→<15Bq/m³
Two-storey, Cochrane
2010s · builder's rough-in · HRV
Below the guideline already, but the owner wanted it as low as it would go. They had been watching the number for a few years before they called us.
200→43Bq/m³
1990s home, Cochrane
1990s · developed basement · in-floor heat
The owner's monitor read an average of 200 over a full year. The sump pit went under a sealed lid.
Before and after readings in Bq/m³, real numbers from these five Cochrane homes: long-term tests, the owners' own digital monitors and lab detectors. The share above counts the Cochrane homes whose lab test after the install came back to us (our job records). House details are approximate to keep each owner private, and the photos come from our installs in Cochrane and Bragg Creek rather than these exact homes.
Have a result over 200 Bq/m³, or not sure what yours means? Call us and we'll talk it through.
Radon Levels in Cochrane
What Local Tests Have Found
One Cochrane home in four reached Health Canada's 200 Bq/m³ guideline or more in a University of Calgary study, and on average Cochrane read higher than any other area the study covered.
The researchers left each detector in place for at least 90 days, in Cochrane homes tested between 2013 and 2016 (CMAJ Open, 2017). That share at 200 or more is about twice the whole study's, where 1 in 8 of the 2,382 homes got there, and two thirds of the Cochrane homes reached 100 or more, the reference level the World Health Organization suggests.
The newer 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon has no line for Cochrane on its own. Across the Calgary region, Cochrane's census division (division 6: the city and the towns around it), roughly one home in six reached 200 or more. The University of Calgary study was small and is ten years old, and the house next door tells you nothing certain about yours: only your own long-term test settles it. See how the rest of Alberta compares.
Homes Over Health Canada's Guideline
Cochrane, University of Calgary Study
1 in 4
Calgary Region, Cross-Canada Survey
1 in 6
Highest Cochrane Home Tested
3,441Bq/m³
Cochrane in the University of Calgary study: 69 homes measured for at least 90 days between 2013 and 2016, average 261 Bq/m³, 25% at 200 or more, 68% at 100 or more, top reading 3,441, the study's highest (CMAJ Open 2017, Stanley et al., Fig. 2; the whole study ran from under 15 to 3,441). Census division 6, the Calgary region, in the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon (p.70): 17,203 homes, 17.1% at 200 Bq/m³ or more, geometric mean 102.8, top reading 7,199. The two averages are worked out differently, so compare the shares, not the averages.
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)
Cochrane
32%
43%
25%
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 census division 6, the Calgary region: the city and the towns around it, Cochrane included (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).
How Cochrane Compares Across Southern Alberta
Results From the University of Calgary Study
Cochrane's average was the highest of any area in the study, and its readings were statistically different from those in 26 of the 34 areas the researchers compared.
Inside Calgary, 11% to 13% of the homes in each quadrant were at or above 200, against 25% in Cochrane. The figures for each quadrant are on our Calgary page.
One thing worth knowing when you read the table: Okotoks and High River had a slightly bigger share of homes at or above 200 than Cochrane did. An average can be pulled up by a few very high homes, and the share at or above 200 counts how many homes crossed the line, so the two measures tell different parts of the story (CMAJ Open, 2017, Figure 2 and p.E257).
Every area in the table had homes over the guideline, and two homes on one street can test far apart. The study is ten years old and some of its samples are small, so treat it as a reason to test, not a forecast for your street.
Homes tested: Cochrane 69, Okotoks and High River 194, Redwood Meadows 43, Airdrie 37, the whole study 2,382. Every home measured for at least 90 days, 2013 to 2016 (CMAJ Open 2017, Fig. 2).
Radon Testing in Cochrane
The Best Way to Test
For a result you can make a decision on, start with our long-term test kit. It is the kind of test Health Canada recommends: it sits on the lowest floor your family spends time on for three months or longer, through the cold months when the house is closed up, then goes back to the lab in its prepaid envelope. When the number comes in, give us a call and go over it with a radon expert.
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 is one of the home radon monitors C-NRPP has tested.
Free Ways to Test in Cochrane and Bragg Creek
Borrow a detector through the library. Cochrane and Bragg Creek both belong to the Marigold Library System, which lends 18 radon detectors, each on a three-week loan, from October to April. Search "Marigold Radon Detector" in the TRACpac catalogue to put a hold on one. Look at the hold queue first, because in radon season the detectors are in demand and some holds take a while.
- Cochrane Public Library: a Marigold member, so a Cochrane library card can hold a detector
- Bragg Creek Satellite Library, with lending lockers at the Bragg Creek Community Centre: also a Marigold member; ask whether a radon detector can be sent to the lockers
- Springbank, Bearspaw and the rest of Rocky View County: county residents can join Marigold through a member 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.
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 to Put a Test in a Cochrane Home
Walkout basements. Lots of Cochrane houses on the slopes above the Bow have a walkout lower level. If anyone sleeps, works or relaxes down there, test it, even with a wall of windows: it is still the floor that sits on the ground, and Health Canada says to test the lowest level you use.
Duplexes and townhomes. Close to 3 in 10 Cochrane homes are semis or row houses (Statistics Canada, 2021 census). Radon can be very different from one side of a duplex to the other, so a neighbour's result doesn't tell you yours. Both sides should test.
When to start. Fall or winter, once the windows stay shut and the furnace is running: the season Health Canada recommends for a long-term test, and the same months Marigold lends its detectors. Just moved into one of Cochrane's new builds? Put a test down your first fall in the house.
Child care. Alberta has no radon testing rule for child care. The Radon Awareness and Testing Act of 2017 would have required it, but it never came into force and was repealed on December 31, 2023, under the Statutes Repeal Act (Alberta King's Printer, Table of Public Statutes). More on child care and schools.
Why Is Radon High in Cochrane?
No published study we know of explains why Cochrane reads so high. Radon comes from uranium breaking down in soil and rock, and the ground around town is a mix: river sand and gravel along the Bow, glacial till on the benches, old lake-bed silt and clay toward Springbank and Bragg Creek, with sandstone bedrock underneath (Alberta Geological Survey surficial and bedrock maps).
A map at that scale describes a region, not your lot. Two houses on the same crescent can sit on different fill and test very differently, which is why the answer for your home comes from a test, not a map.
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.
“Cochrane (261 Bq/m³) and Okotoks/High River (194 Bq/m³) had the highest average radon readings.”
CMAJ Open, 2017, reporting the University of Calgary's southern Alberta home study
Cochrane Homes and What They Mean for Radon
A Town That Doubled Since 2011
Cochrane went from about 17,600 people in 2011 to about 37,000 in the Town's 2024 census (Town of Cochrane), and most of the growth since 2015 went into Sunset Ridge, Heartland, Fireside, Riversong, The Willows and Heritage Hills (Town of Cochrane neighbourhood figures). About 2 in 3 homes in town date from 2001 on, compared with under 2 in 5 province-wide (Statistics Canada, 2021 census, Cochrane and Alberta).
A new house is not a low-radon house. Newer Alberta homes tended to read higher in the 2024 survey (p.51-52), and roughly half of the Cochrane houses we've mitigated went up in 2016 or later (our job records).
High Water Tables and Sump Pits
With Cochrane's high water tables, many homes here have a sump pit. 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.
Duplexes and Townhomes
We fix Cochrane duplexes and townhomes as well as detached houses, and the work is much the same. If your townhome is part of a condo, check what the board needs to sign off before the work is booked. More on condos, townhomes and renters.
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 Cochrane (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 Cochrane
Bragg Creek, Springbank, Bearspaw and Cochrane Lake are in Rocky View County, where homes are older on average: about 1 in 4 county homes were built before 1981, against 1 in 10 in Cochrane (Statistics Canada, 2021 census). Older or brand new, on a well or on town water, an acreage house gets tested the same way: a long-term test on the lowest floor you live on.
Hanging Furnaces
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.
What We Find Under Cochrane Floors
About 9 in 10 Cochrane basements we've worked on sit on gravel (our job records). Air moves easily through gravel, so one suction point can reach a long way under the floor. Why it matters: how a radon system works.
Radon and the Building Code in Cochrane
What New Homes Need, and Since When
A lot of Cochrane is new enough to have the radon rough-in. Roughly a fifth of the town's homes were finished from 2016 to 2021 (Statistics Canada), and a home the builder applied to build after November 1, 2015 must have a capped radon pipe through the basement floor. Without a fan, that pipe does nothing for your radon level, so a new Cochrane house still needs a test.
Radon Rough-In Required
New Homes in Alberta, Since
2015
Fan Required by Code
Still No
Code Dates for Cochrane
- May 1, 2015: Alberta's first radon rough-in, a capped pipe through the basement floor. Builders could use either code until November 1, 2015; homes 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 (Government of Alberta).
- May 1, 2024: The current code, for homes the builder applied to build from that date. Still no fan required (Government of Alberta).
Buying a newer home in Sunset Ridge, Heartland or Fireside? Ask whether the sellers ever tested, and plan a long-term test for your first winter there. More on radon when buying or selling.
What It Means for Your Home
A rough-in is a head start, not a radon system: there is no fan, so a newer home still needs a test, and we test the pipe before using it. More on radon in the Alberta Building Code.
Who Inspects New Homes in and Around Cochrane
The Town of Cochrane and, for Bragg Creek, Springbank, Bearspaw and Cochrane Lake, Rocky View County run their own inspections, but the radon part of the code is provincial, so it is the same on both sides of the town line.
Radon in Alberta: The Bigger Picture
What a radon number means, how a system works, the cost, grants and the rules for buying or selling are the same across Alberta, so they live 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
Cochrane Radon Questions
Is Radon a Problem in Cochrane?
Yes. In a University of Calgary study of southern Alberta homes, Cochrane had the highest average radon of any area tested, and about one home in four was over Health Canada's guideline. Across the wider Calgary region, census division 6 in the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon, roughly one home in six got to 200 Bq/m³. Only a long-term test can tell you where your own house sits.
Is Radon in Cochrane Higher Than in Calgary?
In the University of Calgary study, yes: one Cochrane home in four reached 200 Bq/m³ or more, against 11% to 13% in each Calgary quadrant, and Cochrane's average was the highest of any area tested. It was a small study, though, and plenty of Calgary homes tested high too. See how Cochrane compares, and the quadrants on our Calgary page.
Which Cochrane Neighbourhoods Have the Most Radon?
No public source we know of splits Cochrane by neighbourhood. The University of Calgary study counted Cochrane as one area, and the 2024 survey has no Cochrane line at all. What we can tell you from our own work: we've fixed homes over the guideline in neighbourhoods across town, in 1960s houses and in brand-new ones (our job records). Radon changes from one house to the next, so a test of your own home is the only answer that holds.
My Newer Cochrane Home Has a Radon Pipe. Do I Still Need to Test?
Yes. What the builder left is a capped pipe with no fan, so it isn't lowering anything yet. Test first; if it comes back high, we check whether that pipe can be used for the system.
Where Can I Borrow a Radon Detector in Cochrane?
Cochrane Public Library and the Bragg Creek Satellite Library both belong to Marigold Library System, whose radon detectors can be put on hold from October to April (details under Free Ways to Test). Treat a borrowed detector as a first screening; a system decision should rest on three months or more of testing.
Do You Work in Bragg Creek and Springbank?
Yes. Our crews cover all of Cochrane plus Bragg Creek, Springbank and the Rocky View County acreages around town, Bearspaw and Cochrane Lake included. For homes inside Calgary, there's our Calgary page; up toward Airdrie, our Airdrie page. Somewhere the map doesn't show? Phone us.
How Much Does Radon Mitigation Cost in Cochrane?
A radon system costs a fraction of the price of air conditioning. The price depends on your home. In Cochrane, a sealed sump lid is a common part of the job, while the gravel under most basement floors here helps the rest of it go smoothly. With a few details we can usually quote it on the same call. See what changes the price.
Why Doesn't RadonCare Offer Free Radon Tests?
Because we want the test done right. A proper test runs for at least three months in the lowest lived-in level of your home, and we only recommend a system when a test shows your home needs one. For a free first look, borrow a detector from your library, then follow up with a long-term test.
Is There a Grant for Radon Mitigation in Cochrane?
At the time of writing (October 2026), there is no Alberta, regional or town grant for radon mitigation. Anything 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 Cochrane
Nearby Areas We Serve
Outside This Map? We Work Across Alberta and the BC Interior.
Our crews also work in Okotoks, Red Deer and Edmonton, and across the BC Interior. Not sure about your town? Call 1‑844‑723‑6622.
Our crews work across all of Cochrane: Sunset Ridge, Heartland, Cochrane West, Fireside, West Ridge, Riversong, Riviera, Precedence, South Ridge, The Willows, Rivercrest, Southbow Landing, River Heights, Crawford Ranch, Bow Ridge, Bow Meadows, Heritage Hills, GlenEagles, Glenbow, East End, Greystone, Jumping Pound Ridge, Riverview, Rolling Range Estates, Towers Trail, West Pointe, West Terrace, West Valley, Cochrane Heights and downtown. Outside the town line, we work in Bragg Creek, Springbank, Bearspaw, Cochrane Lake and the Rocky View County acreages in between.
Radon in the Local News
Cochrane Eagle, October 23, 2024Report shows radon exposure is up in Canadian homesCoverage of the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey, including the figure for Greater Calgary and where to borrow a kit.
CochraneNow, January 23, 2019Be a Part of a Radon Testing ProgramUniversity of Calgary researchers asking Cochrane-area homeowners to join their testing program.
CochraneNow, March 29, 2017Research Shows Homeowners (Especially Cochranites) Should Test for Radon GasThe day the study came out, with Cochrane's average at the top of the list.
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