Chatham-Kent
Radon testing and mitigation in Chatham, Ontario
Chatham sits on the Thames River in the middle of Chatham-Kent, a municipality of farmland, river towns and shoreline. Here’s what’s known about radon in Chatham, and how to find out about your home.
- Region
- Chatham-Kent
- Population
- about 104,000 (Chatham-Kent)
- Public health
- Chatham-Kent Public Health
- Local factors
- 6 reasons to test
Is radon a problem in Chatham?
Radon can exceed Health Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline in any Chatham home. Health Canada survey data tabulated by Cancer Care Ontario put Chatham-Kent at 18.4% of homes at or above the guideline. Across Ontario, about 1 in 8 homes tested at or above the guideline in the 2024 national survey. Locally, cracking clay soils, sandy or gravelly soils and rural drilled wells are reasons to test. A 91-day test is the only way to know your home’s level.
Radon in Chatham
Chatham sits on the Thames River in the middle of Chatham-Kent, a municipality of farmland, river towns and shoreline. In the Health Canada survey data that Cancer Care Ontario tabulated by public health unit, 18.4% of the homes tested in Chatham-Kent were at or above Health Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline. It is a survey of a limited number of homes across a large area, so it can’t clear or condemn a street. It does say the numbers here are not low.
The ground under Chatham
Chatham-Kent is a flat plain of glacial lake clay and till, drained by ditches and tile and cut by the Thames and Sydenham rivers. Clay slows soil gas, but it cracks in dry summers, and the gravel under a slab and the trenches around a foundation can carry gas straight to the house. Sandy ridges along the old lake shorelines are more permeable.
Chatham’s homes
Downtown Chatham and the streets near the Thames have older brick homes, often with sumps and floor drains. Post-war neighbourhoods fill the middle of the city, and newer subdivisions sit on its north and east edges. Beyond Chatham, the municipality is farmhouses on private wells, small-town homes in Wallaceburg and Tilbury, and cottages around Erieau and Rondeau that are being winterized.
What the data says
Of homes tested in the Chatham-Kent health unit area were at or above 200 Bq/m³ in the Health Canada survey data tabulated by Cancer Care Ontario (2009 to 2013).Source: Cancer Care Ontario — Risk of Residential Radon Exposure Varies Geographically (results by public health unit, Health Canada survey data 2009–2013)
Ontario homes at or above Health Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline in the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey, more than double the share found a decade earlier.Source: Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure in the Residential Buildings of Urban and Rural Communities (2024)
Higher average radon exposure for rural residents than urban residents in a 2024 national study of 42,051 homes, mostly linked to drilled wells.Source: Goodarzi et al., Scientific Reports (2024) — rural communities and drilled-well annuli
Local results
Building a real radon picture for Chatham
Public radon data for Southern Ontario towns is thin. The national surveys tested only a handful of homes per area. So we’re building our own: anonymized long-term results from homes we test, published by area once there are at least 30, so no single home can be identified and small samples can’t mislead.
Chatham: collecting results. Already tested? Check your number and share it anonymously when you book.
Local factors
What can push radon up in Chatham
Not a prediction for any single home, just the reasons a test is worth it here.
Clay plains
Dense clay slows soil gas, but it cracks in dry spells. Gas then follows the easiest route: the gravel backfill, weeping tile and utility trenches that lead straight to a basement.
Sandy or gravelly soils
Sand and gravel let soil gas move freely and over longer distances. More of the radon formed in the ground can reach the air around your foundation instead of decaying in place.
Rural homes on drilled wells
A 2024 national study of over 42,000 homes found rural residents were exposed to about 30% more radon than urban residents, with most of the gap linked to drilled wells. Researchers suspect gas travels up the gap around the well casing.
Century homes
Fieldstone, rubble and early concrete foundations, earth-floor cellars and open sumps give radon many ways in. Older doesn’t mean safer: these homes still need a test.
New, airtight construction
Canadian research shows newer homes have tended to test higher than older ones. Bigger, taller and tighter homes create a stronger stack effect that draws soil gas in through the slab.
Cottages and crawlspaces
Lakeshore cottages converted to year-round homes often sit on crawlspaces, piers or patched slabs. Once winterized and heated, they can start pulling in soil gas they never did as summer places.
Where we work
Chatham neighbourhoods and nearby communities
- Downtown Chatham
- Thames River corridor
- Wallaceburg
- Tilbury
- Blenheim
- Ridgetown
- Dresden
- Wheatley
- Thamesville
- Bothwell
- Erieau
Nearby: Radon in Windsor · Radon in Leamington · Radon in Strathroy
How it works
From test to fix
- Book
Tell us about your Chatham home. We reply within one business day.
- Test for 91+ days
A certified technician places long-term detectors on your lowest lived-in floor. You get an early reading at 2 weeks.
- Get your result
Lab-verified average, explained against Health Canada’s guideline.
- Fix it if it’s high
A sub-slab system designed for your foundation, at a fixed price, with results guaranteed.
Questions
Radon in Chatham: FAQ
Is radon a problem in Chatham?
Radon can exceed Health Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline in any Chatham home. Health Canada survey data tabulated by Cancer Care Ontario put Chatham-Kent at 18.4% of homes at or above the guideline. Across Ontario, about 1 in 8 homes tested at or above the guideline in the 2024 national survey. Locally, cracking clay soils, sandy or gravelly soils and rural drilled wells are reasons to test. A 91-day test is the only way to know your home’s level.
How common is high radon in Chatham-Kent?
In Health Canada survey data tabulated by Cancer Care Ontario, 18.4% of the homes tested in Chatham-Kent were at or above 200 Bq/m³,. It describes the survey sample, not your home. A 91-day test gives you your own number.
Do you serve Wallaceburg, Tilbury and Ridgetown?
Yes. We test and mitigate across the whole municipality of Chatham-Kent, including Wallaceburg, Tilbury, Blenheim, Ridgetown, Dresden, Wheatley and Erieau.
Do you offer radon testing and mitigation in Chatham?
Yes. We test and mitigate homes throughout Chatham, including Downtown Chatham, Thames River corridor, Wallaceburg, Tilbury, Blenheim and nearby. Call (226) 271-4667 or book online.
Radon is fixable. First, know your number.
Serving Chatham, Windsor, Leamington and Strathroy.