Radon prevention in the design and construction of schools and other large buildings

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5220042

Leovic, K W; Craig, A B; Harris, D B

The paper discusses radon prevention in the design and construction of schools and other large buildings. The U.S. EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) has started incorporating radon control measures into the design and construction of new schools and other large buildings. The goal of the new designs is twofold: (1) to prevent elevated radon levels in the completed building, and (2) to provide the protection at a fraction of the cost of retrofit systems. ORD's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory (AEERL) has conducted the research necessary to develop viable designs. The Indoor Radon Abatement Act of 1988 set a national long-term goal for indoor radon of 0.5 picocurie per liter (pCi/L)--the same as that typically found in outdoor air. The EPA currently recommends that homeowners take action to reduce radon levels to below 4 pCi/L. To achieve the national goal set in the 1988 Act for new construction in radon-prone areas, AEERL research is using a combination of active subslab depressurization (ASD) and operation of the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to pressurize buildings. These measures are described briefly, along with a case history of one building.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States). Air and Energy Engineering Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 5220042
• Report Number(s): PB-92-180298/XAB; EPA--600/J-92/164
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR CONDITIONING
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
BUILDINGS
CONTROL
DEPRESSURIZATION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
ENGINEERING
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
FLUIDS
GASES
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MITIGATION
NONMETALS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADON
RARE GASES
VENTILATION