A survey of radon concentration in kindergartens in area of town Piekary ?l?skie, affected byunderground mining, have been performed. Measurements were done in cellars and classrooms on thegroundfloor. The highest value of radon concentration in the classroom during long-term monitoringwas of about 228 Bq/m3. During the survey we proved a correlation between concentrations of radonin soil gas and in buildings.
Nowadays augmented risk of a lung and larynx cancers as a result of the exposure on radon is not onlyknown fact, but also the most important effect of the influence of the natural radioactivity on thegeneral public. There is no doubt, that quite often miners are more endangered by enhanced radonexposures as other members of the society.Upper Silesia is the region of the extended underground mining industry, mainly of a hard coal, butalso the metal ore mining.
It is estimated that more than 5000 householders in the UK have taken steps to reduce high radonlevels in their homes. In 1993 a number of homes with successful remedies installed were asked toparticipate in a study to determine the long term reliability of those systems. This involved the annualremeasurement of the radon concentration in each dwelling.
A soil gas measurement method developed earlier [1] was applied to boreholes drilled to belowfoundation depth. Radon concentration and permeability were measured at 50 cm intervals. Inradon prone areas permeability showed to increase with depth over several orders of magnitude,indicating a low permeability top layer with a thickness of 0.5 m and more. A radon availabilityindex (RAI) was empirically defined and the maximum RAI of each boring proved to be a reliableindicator for radon problems in nearby houses.
The effectiveness of various insulating materials for limiting radon entry into houses has beeninvestigated experimentally in 90 existing houses and in laboratory conditions. Each material hasbeen evaluated according to several aspects - placeability, durability, tear resistance and diffusionproperties. The results of the radon diffusion coefficients measurement in more than 80 insulatingmaterials are summarized. We have found out that great differences exist in diffusion properties,because the diffusion coefficient varries within four orders from 10-13 m2/s to 10-10 m2/s.
Within the Belgian Radon Programme the Belgian Building Research Institute is responsible for theinvestigation of techniques for prevention and mitigation of radon problems in dwellings. One of themost regular actions is the installation of a sub-slab depressurisation (SSD) system. As there are noready-to-use systems available on the Belgian market, a system has to be designed for every specificsituation.
The article presents a part of the measurements around a closed coal mine in an area of 2 km2 where newbuildings are planned. Because of high content of natural radioactivity (U and 226Ra) in coal and fly ash inthis area, high radon concentrations were measured. Monitoring consists of measurements on the coal minerepository and around it. Values of radon exhalation rates were in the range from 9 x 10-3 to 4 x 10-1 Bqm-2s-1. On the areas rich with coal and coal ash, higher radon exhalation rates were determined during allperiods of the year.
First, models (room models) published in the international literature allowing the exposure togamma radiation indoors due to building materials to be assessed are reviewed and discussed. Forone of them, a sensitivity analysis regarding the effect of changing the parameters (e.g. dimensionsof the room, thickness and density of the walls, etc.) used in calculations is performed.
This paper presents a history of the development of a formalized training and technology transferprogram for radon testers and mitigators in the United States. It explores the experiences andchallenges of the last fifteen years in providing training to an emerging radon industry so that they, inturn, can provide high-quality measurement and mitigation services to the general public.
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