Information

Radon gas at home, all the info

Radon gas at home, all the info


We are searching data for your request:

Forums and discussions:
Manuals and reference books:
Data from registers:
Wait the end of the search in all databases.
Upon completion, a link will appear to access the found materials.

Radon gas in the house: measurement tools, health risks and systems to reduce radon gas levels in the home.

The levels of theradon gasthey can be monitored and reduced in both new and existing homes. Unfortunately, in Italy there are no legal provisions. For the first regulatory references we will have to wait until 2018 when our country will be forced to implement theEuropean Directive 59/2013.

The damage to the health of theradon gasthey have been known since the 16th century, when an increase in lung diseases was observed among workers most exposed to this substance.

Radon gas in the house

Theradonarrives in ourshomesrising from the ground according to aprincipleknown aschimney effect. The chimney effect is the same mechanism that architects use to ensure good natural ventilation in buildings and is dictated by the pressure difference between the internal environment of the building and the outside.

Inside homes, the pressure is greater, especially in winter when outside temperatures are lower and higher inside due to the activity of the heating systems. This gradient recalls the entry of air inside the building and with it also penetrates theradonthat exhales from the subsoil towards residential environments.

Theradonpasses through the micro-cracks in the floors, walls and through the gas and electricity pipes, from the sewage system ...

How to reduce radon gas levels in the home

Among the means we have to lower the levels of radon gas in closed environments, we mention controlled mechanical ventilation systems with density filtration system (radon has a density greater than air and is much heavier than any other known gas) . Natural aspiration (natural ventilation or air exchange) is a good solution for pre-existing buildings but in the case of high-risk properties where the owners wish to intervene in a targeted manner, they can rely on engineers who are experts in remediation techniques.

Inhomesof new construction it is easier to intervene: during the design phase it is possible to identify the risk class of the foundation soils and carry out adequate insulation works. At this stage, the costs to be faced are minimal, we are talking about an incidence of 0.05% on the total construction cost. The measurement of levels ofradonin the soil it is performed by geologists and following the Czechoslovakian legislation (pending the Italian one). The survey is carried out in the soil, about 80 cm deep. The air is forcibly sucked from the ground and conveyed to a measuring chamber. This preliminary step returns an indication of the potential risk associated with the levels ofradondetected and, on the basis of these, the necessary constructive precautions can be taken.

Measure the radon levels

The concentration ofradon it can vary a lot from one moment of the day to another and is strongly influenced by the saturation of the soil in case of rain, snow, wind speed, seismic movements ... For these reasons, it is not easy to perform absolute measurements. There is no shortage of instruments on the market that allow you to measure radon levels at home or in open spaces, but these devices are difficult to manage precisely because of the fluctuations in the concentrations of this gas.

Among the instruments we point out some kits that can work for a "number of times" or detection devices with digital display. The kits can be quite reliable but force the user to always buy new material in order to make an appropriate number of surveys. By way of example only, we recommend an easy-to-use Radon Gas Level Reading Monitor. It has sensors sensitive to radon oscillations so as to perform long-term measurements. It is easy to use and the information collected is projected on the LCD display. The device is not cheap at all: it costs around 240 euros.



Video: 5 Things You Need to Know About Radon - A UK Radon Association Webinar (February 2025).