Transport of radon from soil into residences

To develop effective monitoring and control programs for indoor radon it is important to understand the causes of the broad range of concentrations that have been observed. Measurements of indoor radon concentration and air-exchange rate in dwellings in several countries indicate that this variability arises largely from differences among structures in the rate of radon entry. Recent evidence further suggests that the major source of indoor radon in many circumstances is the soil adjacent to the building foundation and that pressure-driven flow, rather than molecular diffusion, is the dominant transport process by which radon enters the buildings. Key factors affecting radon transport from soil are radon production in soil, flow-inducing mechanisms, soil permeability, and building substructure type.