radon daughter

Two bi-level houses in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, of identical design and construction were studied to determine the relationships among air exchange, energy consumption, and indoor pollutants. The experimental house was retrofitted and equip

This literature survey contains references pertaining to the physical properties of radon and its daughters, instrumentation for their measurement, health effects, surveys and measurements, and regulatory information.

Chemical pollutants and ventilation rate have been measured in newly built energy efficient private dwellings. The samples were taken in the absence of normal human activity in the houses. The data show that the main source of organic pollutants seems to be indoor building materials and furniture. For dust an important source could be the outdoor environment. Formaldehyde was primarily found in houses where chipboard was used while levels of radon daughters was very low in all houses tested.

Indoor pollutant levels in well-insulated houses are being investigated in a 2-year theoretical and experimental study involving the simultaneous measurement of meteorological variables, air exchange and circulation, and energy consumption. This paper describes concentrations of radon, radon progeny, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides observed in two houses over two seasons, summer and fall 1983. Two companion papers provide a perspective on the problem and the study design, and present results of energy use and infiltration measurements.

As part of a comprehensive indoor air quality and infiltration field study, radon concentrations were measured in 60 houses in upstate New York using passive integrating monitors. Indoor air radon concentrations ranged from 0.2 pCi/1 to 50 pCi/1. Four houses with the highest radon levels were then extensively monitored using real-time continuous instruments for the measurement of radon, radon daughters, respirable particles, infiltration, inside-outside pressure difference, and weather parameters.

Plastic track detectors LR-115 and CR-39 were used to estimate the concentration of radon-222 and its daughter products (218Po, 214Po) in a room by recording tracks of their alpha-particles. Although the ventilation rate is the main factor th

Complaints related to moisture problems in houses which had been air sealed, led to a study of indoor air quality in 20 weatherized demonstration homes in the Cambridge, Ontario area. 

The largest contribution to population exposure from natural radiation arises from the inhalation of the decay products of radon in indoor air. In most instances the dominant source of radon within buildings is the subjacent ground. However, building materials do contribute to the radon concentration in indoor air, and in some circumstances may provide the major source. Thisreport reviews some of the literature on radon emanation from soils and building materials world-wide.

The relation between air infiltration rate and indoor concentrations of radon gas, radon daughters, and formaldehyde has been investigated for both summer and winter conditions in a number of Toronto houses with low rates of natural ventilation.

Measurements of radon and radon daughters in 11 buildings in five states, using active or passive solar heating showed no significant increase in concentration over the levels measured in buildings with conventional heating systems. Radon levels in two buildings using rock storage in their active solar systems exceeded the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's 10 CFR 20 limit of 3 pCi/l for continuous exposure. In the remainder of the buildings, radon concentrations were found to be at levels considered to be normal.