Testing of indoor radon-reduction techniques in 19 Maryland houses. Final report, January 1987-June 1989

Technical Report · Fri Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6603694

Gilroy, D G; Kaschak, W M

The report gives results of testing of indoor radon reduction techniques in 19 existing houses in Maryland. The focus was on passive measures: various passive soil depressurization methods, where natural wind and temperature effects are utilized to develop suction in the system; and sealing of radon entry routes into the house. Active (fan-assisted) soil depressurization techniques were also tested. Passive soil depressurization systems typically gave moderate radon reductions (30-70%), although the reductions ranged from zero to 90%. Only two houses were reduced <4 pCi/L with the passive systems. A passive system is most likely to be successful when sub-slab communication is very good, when the house has a basement with no adjoining slab-on-grade or crawl-space wings, and when the foundation walls are poured concrete instead of hollow block. Entry route sealing as a stand-alone radon mitigation measure gave zero-50% reduction in the only house where it was tested. Active soil depressurization, tested in 18 houses, reduced 16 of them <4 pCi/L, and 12 of them <2 pCi/L; reductions were often >90%. Poor sub-slab communication prevented this approach from being fully successful in the other two houses; later modifications to these two systems reduced these houses <4 pCi/L also.

• Research Organization: CDM Federal Programs Corp., Fairfax, VA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6603694
• Report Number(s): PB-90-244393/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring &amp; Transport-- (1990-)
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION ABATEMENT
BASEMENTS
BUILDINGS
CONTAMINATION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION III
FLUIDS
GASES
HOUSES
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MARYLAND
MITIGATION
MONITORING
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
POLLUTION
POLLUTION ABATEMENT
PROGRESS REPORT
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADON
RARE GASES
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
SOILS
USA