Study of Radon concentrations in a single-family home and their relationship with the ventilation system

Abstract

In the past decade a number of studies have looked into the environmental conditions of buildings and the quality of air indoors, in light of scientific reports that link them to serious illnesses. Outstanding among these studies are the ones focusing on the concentration of Radon gas, qualified as a grade one carcinogen. Our article analyzes the concentrations of this gas detected in a single-family home and how the levels may be affected by the ventilation system used. Air samples were taken under different conditions -the first sample without ventilation of the space and the second with ventilation- in three units of the house: garage, living room and bedroom. The maximum concentrations obtained when the ventilation system was not in operation show values between 94.45 and 391.12 Bq/m(3), obtaining an average of 278.86 Bq/m(3), being above the recommended ideal threshold established by the World Health Organization. In contrast, the maximum concentrations were between 71.56 and 29.98 Bq/m(3) when the ventilation system was used. Our results confirm that ventilation is decisive for reducing the concentration of gas in interiors, giving an average efficiency of 62%.