Windsor-Essex
Radon testing and mitigation in Leamington & Kingsville, Ontario
Leamington and Kingsville sit side by side on the north shore of Lake Erie, in the greenhouse and orchard country of southern Essex County. Here’s what’s known about radon in Leamington, and how to find out about your home.
- Region
- Windsor-Essex
- Population
- about 77,000 (Leamington and Kingsville)
- Public health
- Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
- Local factors
- 6 reasons to test
Is radon a problem in Leamington?
Radon can exceed Health Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline in any Leamington home. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s 2015 to 2018 study found about 18% of Essex County homes 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 shallow or fractured bedrock are reasons to test. A 91-day test is the only way to know your home’s level.
Radon in Leamington
Leamington and Kingsville sit side by side on the north shore of Lake Erie, in the greenhouse and orchard country of southern Essex County. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s Radon: Know Your Level study (2015 to 2018) reported the county, outside the City of Windsor, at 18% of homes tested above Health Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline. That is the figure to keep in mind here, with the caveat that it covers the whole county and not your street.
The ground under Leamington
The ground here is flat Lake Erie plain: glacial lake clay and till, with sandy beach ridges where older shorelines ran and carbonate bedrock that comes close to the surface in places. Point Pelee, the southernmost tip of mainland Canada, is a sand spit just south of Leamington. Clay cracks in dry weather and sand moves soil gas freely, so both give gas a path to a foundation.
Leamington’s homes
Leamington has older brick homes near its downtown and a lot of newer detached homes on its edges. Kingsville’s heritage core is surrounded by lakeshore cottages and new subdivisions. Out in the country, farmhouses sit beside greenhouse operations, and cottages along the Lake Erie shore are increasingly lived in all year.
What the data says
Of Essex County homes tested in the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s 2015 to 2018 study were above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline, against 6% in the City of Windsor.Source: Windsor-Essex County Health Unit — Radon: Know Your Level, 2015–2018 report
Of homes tested in the Windsor-Essex 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)
Local results
Building a real radon picture for Leamington
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.
Leamington: collecting results. Already tested? Check your number and share it anonymously when you book.
Local factors
What can push radon up in Leamington
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.
Shallow or fractured bedrock
Where rock sits close to the surface, as on the Niagara Escarpment or the limestone plains near Lake Erie, joints and fractures can act as pipelines that carry soil gas toward foundations.
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.
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.
Where we work
Leamington neighbourhoods and nearby communities
- Leamington
- Kingsville
- Ruthven
- Cottam
- Harrow
- Colchester
- Albuna
- Point Pelee area
- Essex
Nearby: Radon in Windsor · Radon in Chatham
How it works
From test to fix
- Book
Tell us about your Leamington 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 Leamington: FAQ
Is radon a problem in Leamington?
Radon can exceed Health Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline in any Leamington home. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s 2015 to 2018 study found about 18% of Essex County homes 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 shallow or fractured bedrock are reasons to test. A 91-day test is the only way to know your home’s level.
Is radon higher in Essex County than in Windsor?
In the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s 2015 to 2018 study, it was: 18% of Essex County homes tested were above 200 Bq/m³, against 6% in the City of Windsor. A study can’t explain your house, so the useful step is the same everywhere: a 91-day test on the lowest lived-in floor.
My Lake Erie cottage is now a year-round home. When should I test?
In the first heating season after you convert it, ideally between October and April. Heating a closed-up building creates the stack effect that draws soil gas indoors, so a cottage that read low in summer can read very differently in winter.
Do you offer radon testing and mitigation in Leamington?
Yes. We test and mitigate homes throughout Leamington & Kingsville, including Leamington, Kingsville, Ruthven, Cottam, Harrow and nearby. Call (226) 271-4667 or book online.
Radon is fixable. First, know your number.
Serving Leamington, Windsor and Chatham.