Note: for better quality versions of the images included in this section please see the Appendix page.
The results of the initial calculation for the percentage of homes at risk in each community are shown below in Figure 2. It should be noted that all percentages for this project are shown as decimals, with 1 being equivalent to 100%. From this initial look we can immediately identify that Carmacks, Dawson, and Teslin appear to have the highest amount of homes at risk based on the Health Canada standard. Haines Junction came out with by far the lowest percentage of homes at risk, with only about 4 percent of homes showing radon levels above those deemed to be safe. It is crucial to note here that sample size may have affected these results, but nonetheless this initial look gives an idea of which places may require more testing.
Figure 2: A bar chart depicting the percentages of houses in each community at risk of radon exposure based on the Health Canada radon standard.
The rock class that consistently showed the highest correlation with radon levels was the volcanic class. This correlation is depicted in Figure 4. This is further supported by my literature review of these geological patterns (Florica, 2020, p. 2663). Additionally, plutonic rock appeared to have some correlation with radon levels but this rock class appears to have been widely excluded from literature relating to radon. Finally, the metamorphic values showed a much lower correlation to radon levels than expected. This can likely be accounted for based on sample size which is something I will address in more detail in the discussion.
Figure 3: A summary of the regression results between bedrock geology percentage and exceeded radon standard percentages.
Figure 4: A scatterplot of the percentage of volcanic rock by percentage of houses above the Health Canada standard radon levels in Yukon Communities.
The distribution of Yukon Community radon levels can be seen in Figure 5 below, along with the geological makeup of the Yukon. From this image, we can see that generally the communities with the highest levels of radon are located near areas made up of volcanic, plutonic, and metamorphic rock. This also aligns with the papers cited in this project.
Figure 5: Map of the geological overview of the Yukon with community percentages of homes not meeting the Health Canada radon Standard.
The final key result of this project is that historical glacial coverage may have a correlation with radon exposure. This result is depicted in Figure 6 below. It seems that communities that had been covered entirely by a glacier had less overall radon gas released compared to communities that were unglaciated or barely within the extents of the glaciation such as Dawson and Carmacks. Teslin was the exception to this result however Teslin is one of the smallest communities analyzed in this study and therefore sample size likely played a role.
Figure 6: Map of historical glacial extents and community percentages of houses not meeting the Health Canada Standard for Radon Levels in the Yukon Territory.