The influence of airthightness on the indoor radon concentration in dwellings

Abstract

Natural Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) are often used in building materials. Some of these radioactive elements decay to radon, which can be released by the building materials. Exposure to high radon concentrations is harmful to human health. Since one spend a lot of time indoor, the radon exposure is a non negligible topic in health safety and protection. In this study we investigate the influence of airtightness and building materials to the indoor radon concentration and their possible relation. The radon concentration in the air is measured during 3 days in the Winter of 2012. Several radon measurements are performed in consecutive construction stages of new dwellings. Our study considers a case study of a set of several side by side located residential units under construction, all with well specified building materials. In this way differences due to geological background were excluded. The differences in the ventilation regime in the studied dwellings were determined by airtightness measurements. As a matter of fact, the relation between these parameters could be determined.