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Radon Gas in Ottawa New Homes and Condos

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Source : Natural Resources Canada

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Health Canada has as its mandate the oversight of many environmental issues that affect home owners - air and water quality and pollutants that might penetrate the home, to name a few.
 
Concerns :
 
Concerns about mould, toxic gases like radon, insulation like flammable urethane or asbestos, the possible effects of electromagnetic fields - all can be addressed to ease your mind at Health Canada's website

While buying a new home may involve possible hazards - from building materials, or its location among phosphatic rocks or shale that may emit toxic gases, or pollution from rush-hour traffic - older homes carry health risks as well. These include accumulated nicotine from habitual smokers, cats' hair concealed in old carpeting that may bring on life-threatening asthma attacks, dogs' dander, and even possible bacterial infection through excrement from pets.

These and other issues are all addressed by Health Canada.
 
Radon Guidelines :
 
Of significant concern to some recently, has been the issue of Radon gas emissions into new homes.

Health Canada has reviewed health risks from exposure to radon, and after broad public consultation and assessments of scientific information it has updated its guidelines for exposure to radon in indoor air as a consequence.

These guidelines include:

  • Measures should be taken to remedy situations where the average annual radon concentration exceeds 200Bq/m3 in a home.
  • The higher the concentration the sooner remedial measures should be taken.
  • Any remedial action must be completed in less than a year.
  • When taken, the radon level should be reduced to the lowest level practicable.
  • New home construction techniques should minimize radon entry and also facilitate "post-construction radon removal" if necessary.
  • Proposed additions to guidelines will recommend builders use techniques to achieve radon concentration of less than 100 Bq/m3 in a home.
  • Guidelines also apply to public buildings such as schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and correctional facilities.
     
    Normal Occupancy Areas :
     
    Health Canada specifically refer to a "normal occupancy area" rather than a "home" (as we have done). By that, they mean any part of a home where a person is likely to spend more than four hours per day. It includes a finished family room, guest room, office or workshop in a basement, but excludes any unfinished basement, storage area, crawlspace, furnace room, laundry room or cold room.
     
    10 Key Points :
     
    The following points summarized from the The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (Feb, 1994) have been cited by researchers to put into perspective a "radon scare" that occurred in Ottawa during the 1980's, when the radon "safe limit" was wrongly reported to reflect the lowest, rather than highest level.

    1. The risk of environmental radon levels is no higher than in the past, when exposure in the home was not considered to be a significant health hazard.
    2. Most of the radiation dose is not from radon itself but from short-lived alpha particle-emitting radon 'daughters'.
    3. Measuring radon in homes is simple and relatively inexpensive.
    4. There is no way completely to avoid radon exposure, since most comes from the natural environment (as well as radioactivity in our own bodies).
    5. It is impossible to radon-proof a home. But it is possible to reduce the radon level.
    6. "The most important contributor to indoor radon is the soil from which radon can be drawn through large and small subsurface gaps in the house foundation."
    7. Houses in direct contact with the ground will have higher radon levels than ones with air-space beneath them.
    8. Radon levels in upper floors of multi-storey buildings are lower than on the ground floor.
    9. It is prudent in any home in a high radon area to measure the radon level, and suitable action should be taken if the level is high: "greater than 4 pCi/liter."*
    10. "Widely varying radon levels exist in different regions related to geological circumstances."
    * Recommended level for remediation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
     
    CMHC :
     
    Canada Mortgage and Housing has published a Radon Guide for home owners, available  here



    • Why buy an Ottawa new home from an Ottawa home builder, rather than a Resale

    :

    FAVORABLE PRICING
    Competition among Ottawa home builder's makes new homes less likely to to overpriced. Ottawa New homes are easy to compare with others in the market equating apples to apples. The homes are the same age and options are declared up front with a breakdown of prices for comparative shopping.

    NEW HOME WARRANTIES
    Ottawa New home buyers are assured of a warranty on the home itself and on major appliances, including air conditioning and heating systems. Today's Ottawa home builder's extend the Tarion warrenty, which includes structural elements.

    HOMESITE SELECTION
    Location, location, location. Being able to select just the right new home community and lot is almost as important as choosing the right home for your life-style. Ottawa home builders offer a wide selection of lots including golf course locations, waterfront, rural, estate lots and more.

    LATEST MATERIALS
    Low maintenance is one of the most important features of new homes being built today in Ottawa. New technologies and building materials are virtually maintenance free, especially on the exterior. Homeowners no longer have to worry about painting every 3 to 5 years.

    ENERGY EFFICIENCY
    A new home built today is required by law to meet stricter energy codes than homes built in the past, when codes either didn't exist or were much more lenient. Many Ottawa home builder's use materials that are designed to exceed the strict limits to produce future savings for home owners.

    COMPATIBLE NEIGHBORS
    In most new Ottawa communities buyers will be moving in with neighbors that, in general, have similar circumstances. In older communities, new-comers may have more difficulty fitting-in to the already established social setting.

    SIMPLIFIED FINANCING
    Securing financing is the major obstacle to home ownership. Most Ottawa home builder's have done the leg work for you. They have researched the best rates for their specific type of Housing, with established lenders that know the products.

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