Variability

A large social housing retrofitting program was implemented in Porto, Portugal, a mild climate region. One of the features of that program was the upgrade of windows and ventilation systems. An increased airtightness was expected and mechanical extraction on kitchens and bathrooms was implemented. This work analyses the changes in building airtightness that resulted from that renovation.

From the end of 1996 through March 1999, the spatial and the temporal variability of the soil 222Rnconcentration was investigated at a 20m x 20m test field with porous soil in 0.5 m and 1.0 m depth atnine positions each and at 1m x 1m plots at four positions each. For this, soil gas was collected weeklyinto evacuated scintillation cells and was analysed subsequently for radon activity. In the 20m x 20mfield the spatial variability is characterised by coefficients of variation (C.V.) of 26% at 0.5m, and13% at 1.0 m depth. Within the 1m x 1m plots the C.V. Were 4% and 2%, i.e.