scholarly journals The effect of new building regulations on indoor radon in radonprone municipalities

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hallvard Haanes ◽  
Trine Kolstad ◽  
Ingvild Egen Finne ◽  
Bård Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Dose ◽  
Radon Concentration ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Soil Gas ◽  
Building Regulations ◽  
Radon Measures ◽  
The Public ◽  
Important Contributor ◽  
Concentration Levels

Radon is an important contributor to public radiation dose and it is important to monitor levels in homes and introduce measures to reduce radon concentration levels, both overall and where levels are especially high. In Norway, new building regulations were introduced in 2010, which required balanced ventilation and preventive measures to reduce indoor radon levels, including a radon barrier toward the ground and pressure reducing features beneath the building that prevent soil gas from entering (radon sump). Investigations of randomly selected homes all across Norway have shown that houses built under these new regulations have significantly lower radon levels. However, a few municipalities in Norway are especially radon-prone and have houses with particularly high levels. It is crucial to verify the effect of the new regulations in these municipalities, which we have done in this study. Here, we show that both preventive radon measures and balanced ventilation and the building regulations of 2010 have significant effects on reducing the radon levels in the houses of the public. Noticeably for management, houses with a well-ventilated crawl space, which have been exempt from the required preventive measures, still in some cases have levels above action and maximum recommended levels

scholarly journals Assessing the Impact of Housing Features and Environmental Factors on Home Indoor Radon Concentration Levels on the Navajo Nation

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 2813
Author(s):  
Sheldwin A. Yazzie ◽  
Scott Davis ◽  
Noah Seixas ◽  
Michael G. Yost
Keyword(s):  
Radon Concentration ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Decay Product ◽  
Indoor Radon Concentration ◽  
Navajo Nation ◽  
Home Ventilation ◽  
Radon Gas ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Concentration Levels

Uranium is naturally found in the environment as a radioactive metal element with high concentrations in the Southwestern US. In this region is the Navajo Nation, which spans approximately 69,930 square kilometers. A decay product of uranium is radon gas, a lung carcinogen that has no color, odor, or taste. Radon gas may pass from soil into homes; and, indoor accumulation has been associated with geographical location, seasonality, home construction materials, and home ventilation. A home and indoor radon survey was conducted from November 2014 through May 2015, with volunteers who reported residence on the Navajo Nation. Home geolocation, structural characteristics, temperature (°C) during radon testing, and elevation (meters) were recorded. Short-term indoor radon kits were used to measure indoor radon levels. 51 homes were measured for indoor radon levels, with an arithmetic mean concentration of 60.5 Becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3) (SD = 42.7). The mean indoor radon concentrations (Bq/m3) by house type were: mobile, 29.0 (SD = 22.9); wood, 58.6 (SD = 36.0); hogan, 74.0 (SD = 0.0); homes constructed of cement and wood, 82.6 (SD = 3.5); and homes constructed of concrete and cement, 105.7 (SD = 55.8). A key observation is that house construction type appears to be associated with the mean home indoor radon concentration. This observation has been published in that the basic structural make-up of the home may affect home ventilation and therefore indoor radon concentration levels.

Geogenic radon potential mapping using geospatial analysis of multiple radon-related variables: a case study from Southeastern Ireland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirsina Mousavi ◽  
Quentin Crowley
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
Radon Concentration ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Spatial Regression ◽  
Geostatistical Analysis ◽  
Soil Gas ◽  
Natural Radiation ◽  
Spatial Regression Model ◽  
Soil Gas Radon ◽  
Radon Potential

<p>A detailed investigation of geogenic radon potential (GRP) was carried out using geostatistical analysis on multiple radon-related variables to evaluate natural radiation in an area of Southeast Ireland. The geological setting of the study area includes basal Devonian sandstones and conglomerates overlying an offshoot of the Caledonian Leinster Granite, which intrudes Ordovician sediments. The Ordovician sediments contain traces of autunite (Ca(UO<sub>2</sub>)2(PO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>·10–12H<sub>2</sub>O), which is a uranium-bearing mineral and a source of radon. To model radon release potential at different locations, a spatial regression model was developed in which soil gas radon concentration measured in-situ using a Radon RM-2 detector was considered as a response value. Proxy variables such as local geology, soil types, terrestrial gamma dose rates, radionuclide concentrations from airborne radiometric surveys, soil gas permeability, distance from major faults and a Digital Terrain Model were used as the main predictors. Furthermore, the distribution of indoor radon concentration was simulated using a soil-indoor transfer factor. Finally, the workability of the proposed GRP model was tested by evaluating the correlation between previously measured indoor radon concentrations and the estimated values by the GRP model at the same measurement locations. This model can also be used to estimate the GRPs of other areas where radon-related proxy values are available.        </p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Natural radiation, geogenic radon potential, geostatistical analysis, spatial regression model, indoor radon simulation</p>

MEASUREMENTS OF INDOOR RADON CONCENTRATION LEVELS IN DWELLINGS IN BETHLEHEM, PALESTINE

2013 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin A. Leghrouz ◽  
Mohammad M. Abu-Samreh ◽  
Ayah K. Shehadeh
Keyword(s):  
Radon Concentration ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Indoor Radon Concentration ◽  
Concentration Levels

scholarly journals Application of airborne radiometric surveys for large-scale geogenic radon potential classification

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Elío ◽  
Quentin Crowley ◽  
Ray Scanlon ◽  
Jim Hodgson ◽  
Stephanie Long ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Radon Concentration ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Soil Gas ◽  
Soil Gas Radon ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
Radon Potential ◽  
Radon Risk

Background: Indoor radon represents an important health issue to the general population. Therefore, accurate radon risk maps help public authorities to prioritise areas where mitigation actions should be implemented. As the main source of indoor radon is the soil where the building is constructed, maps derived from geogenic factors ([e.g. geogenic radon potential [GRP]) are viewed as valuable tools for radon mapping. Objectives: A novel indirect method for estimating the GRP at national/regional level is presented and evaluated in this article. Design: We calculate the radon risk solely based on the radon concentration in the soil and on the subsoil permeability. The soil gas radon concentration was estimated using airborne gamma-ray spectrometry (i.e. equivalent uranium [eU]), assuming a secular equilibrium between eU and radium (226Ra). The subsoil permeability was estimated based on groundwater subsoil permeability and superficial geology (i.e. quaternary geology) by assigning a permeability category to each soil type (i.e. low, moderate or high). Soil gas predictions were compared with in situ radon measurements for representative areas, and the resulting GRP map was validated with independent indoor radon data. Results: There was good agreement between soil gas radon predictions and in situ measurements, and the resultant GRP map identifies potential radon risk areas. Our model shows that the probability of having an indoor radon concentration higher than the Irish reference level (200 Bq m-3) increases from c. 6% (5.2% – 7.1%) for an area classified as Low risk, to c. 9.7% (9.1% – 10.5%) for Moderate-Low risk areas, c. 14% (13.4% – 15.3%) for Moderate-High risk areas and c. 26% (24.5% – 28.6%) for High risk areas. Conclusions: The method proposed here is a potential alternative approach for radon mapping when airborne radiometric data (i.e. eU) are available.

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