Mitigation of indoor radon in an area with unusually high radon concentrations

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · Health Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-199508000-00007· OSTI ID:166768

Ennemoser, O; Oberdorfer, E; Ambach, W ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Innsbruck (Austria); and others

In an area of unusually high indoor radon concentrations of up to 270,000 Bq m{sup {minus}3}, four houses were selected for mitigation of indoor radon. Methods used were basement sealing, soil depressurization, a mechanical intake and outlet ventilation system with heat exchanger in the basement, and a multilayer floor construction using a fan to such radon from a layer between bottom slab and floor. Basement sealing proved unsuccessful, the radon concentration remained unchanged after the mitigation attempt. The most successful remedial measure was soil depressurization using two fans and loops of drainage tubes to withdraw radon from the region under the floor and outside the walls of the basement and from soil under the part of the house without a basement. This method reduced the basement radon level in winter by about a factor of 200, i.e., from 100,000 Bq m{sup {minus}3} to 500 Bq m{sup {minus}3}, and the ground-floor level by about a factor of 400. As regards the mechanical intake and outlet ventilation system with heat exchanger in the basement, it is essential to ensure that ventilation provides increased air pressure in the basement compared to outdoors. Unbalanced mechanical intake and outlet ventilation may decrease the air pressure indoors compared to outdoors, leading to increased radon concentrations. Optimization of this method reduced radon concentrations for 200,000 Bq m{sup {minus}3} to 2,000-3,000 Bq m{sup {minus}3} in winter. In one house with only a very small basement, a multilayer floor construction using a fan to such radon from a layer between the bottom slab and floor was found to reduce radon concentrations on the ground floor from 25,000 Bq m{sup {minus}3} to about 1,700 Bq m{sup {minus}3} in winter. The results show that even in areas with extremely high radon concentrations, effective mitigation of indoor radon can be accomplished if suitable techniques are used. 8 ref., 7 figs., 6 tabs.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 166768
• Journal Information: Health Physics, Journal Name: Health Physics Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 69; ISSN HLTPAO; ISSN 0017-9078
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AIR
AIR QUALITY
AUSTRIA
DEPRESSURIZATION
HOUSES
INDOOR AIR CONTAMINATION
INTAKE
MITIGATION
RADON 222
SOILS
VENTILATION
WALLS