Radon reduction in homes constructed on saprolite in the Central Appalachians

 A 3-year study of indoor radon in more than 1000 homes in northern Virginia and southern Maryland was conducted using 3-month exposure alpha-track monitors. In a study set of 200 homes, first-floor indoor radon concentrations, which most closely approximates home exposure levels, averaged slightly more than 3 pCi/l. In a study set of 100 homes, sub-slab ventilation was used to reduce indoor radon concentrations. Interest in remediation was related to public perception of the hazardous nature of radon; people living in homes with indoor radon measurements of more than 4 pCi/l were more likely to participate in the remediation phase of the project. Sub-slab ventilation was successful in more than 90% of the homes in reducing indoor radon from concentrations as high as 30 pCi/ to less than 4 pCi/l, at least for the entire year of post-remediation radon measurements. Received: 29 February 1996 · Accepted: 29 May 1996     

土壤中氡浓度检测及其影响因素

综合相关文献研究,通过工程实例介绍土壤中氡气浓度的检测方法,对检测结果进行统计学分析,根据分析结果探讨不同土壤中氡浓度差异及其影响因素。结果显示:土壤孔隙度是影响土壤中氡气浓度的关键因素。不同类型的表层土壤,孔隙度不同,所含氡气浓度也不同。当表层土壤为房渣土、填土时,土质夯实,孔隙率低,氡浓度含量较低;表层土壤为粉土、粉质粘土时,土质较均匀,土层较疏松,孔隙度略大,土壤氡浓度大于前者;表层土壤为粉砂、细砂时,土层更为疏松,土壤中孔隙度再次增大,氡在土壤中有大量的存储空间,所含的氡浓度最大。因此,土壤的孔隙度大小影响氡从地下向地表渗透析出的难易程度,孔隙度越大氡越容易渗透其中,浓度就越高。     

Impact of geohydrology and neotectonic activity on radon concentration in groundwater of intermontane Doon Valley, Outer Himalaya, India

 Radon concentration was measured in 133 water samples from tubewells, handpumps, dug wells and springs of the Doon Valley, Outer Himalaya, India. The observed radon values were found to vary from 10 to 154 Bq/l whereas radium in selected water samples varied from 0.11 to 0.75 Bq/l. Three different clusters of high radon values were observed in the north-western, central and south-eastern parts of the Doon Valley. These clusters were found to be associated with tectonics (thrust/fault) and associated uranium mineralization in the area. In general, radon concentration in groundwater was found to be positively correlated with the depth of the wells, whereas no significant correlation was observed between radon concentration in groundwater and the water temperature, pH value, conductivity and altitude of the water samples. An attempt has also been made to determine the nature and extent of aquifers in the Doon Valley on radon concentration in groundwater. The variation in radon concentration within the groundwater of the study area was found to be controlled by the neotectonic activity and geohydrological processes that occur in the area. The impact of these activities on radon concentration in groundwater are discussed. Received: 17 September 1999 · Accepted: 11 April 2000     

Distribution of indoor radon concentrations and uranium-bearing rocks in Texas

 The purpose of this study was to compare regional patterns of indoor radon concentration with uranium-bearing rock zones and county populations in Texas. Zones yielding radon concentrations that are relatively high for Texas include shale and sandstone in northwest Texas; red beds in north-central Texas; felsic volcanic rocks in west Texas; and sandstone, limestone, and igneous rocks in central Texas. Located in northwest Texas, only five of the 202 counties evaluated have mean indoor radon concentrations above 4.0 pCi l^–1. Two of those counties have populations above the state median of 20 115. The highest county mean concentration is 8.8 pCi l^–1. Results of this study suggest that (1) regional geology influences indoor radon concentrations in Texas, (2) statewide, the radon concentrations are relatively low, (3) highly populated counties do not coincide with regions of high indoor radon concentration, and (4) regions that may warrant further monitoring include northwest Texas and, to a lesser degree, west and central Texas. Received: 8 August 1995 · Accepted: 6 September 1995     

Characteristics of soil radon transport in different geological formations

Soil radon concentration levels in Deir Abu-Said District, Irbid, Jordan were measured for several depths using CR-39 detectors, in the summer 2004 for six geological formations, namely, Wadi umm ghudran (WG), Wadi esSir “massive” limestone, Amman silicified limestone (ASL), Al-Hisa phosphatic limestone (AHP), Muwaqqar chalky-marl (MCM), and Basalt. Using a model (Yakovleva in Ann Geophys 48(1):195–198, 2005) based on the solution of the diffusion equation in the quasi-homogenous approximation, the characteristics of radon transport were calculated. Radon flux density from the Earth’s surface, the depth Z _eq, at which the equilibrium value of soil radon concentration is reached and the convective radon flux velocity (v) for the different soils are calculated and found to be consistent with similar values presented elsewhere. Calculations indicate that the soil covering WG has a low radon risk while, on the contrary, AHP has a higher radon risk as expected, since AHP has higher content of uranium. The other formations have intermediate values. The results of the present study confirm the statement by Yakovleva (Ann Geophys 48(1):195–198, 2005) that two measurements suffice in order to estimate the characteristics of soil radon transport.     

Radon in Himalayan springs: a geohydrological control

 This paper presents the results of radon measurements in springs of the Himalayan region by using radon emanometry technique. The radon was measured in different springs, draining from different geohydrological setups, and from stream water in order to find the geohydrological control over radon concentration in groundwater emanating in the form of spring. The radon values were found to vary from 0.4 Bq/l to 887 Bq/l, being observed lowest for a turbulent stream and highest for the spring. The radon values were recorded highest in the springs draining through gneiss, granite, mylonite, etc. Radon concentrations have been related with four spring types viz. fracture-joint related spring, fault-lineament related spring, fluvial related spring and colluvial related spring, showing geohydrological characteristics of the rocks through which they are emanating. The high radon concentration in fracture-joint and fault-lineament spring is related to increased ratio of rock surface area to water volume and uranium mineralisation in the shear zones present in the close vicinity of fault and thrust. The low concentration of radon in fluvial and colluvial springs is possibly because of high transmissivity and turbulent flow within such deposits leading to natural de-emanation of gases. Received: 6 January 1998 · Accepted 11 May 1999     

四川阿坝土壤与空气中氡气浓度及分布调查

采用IED-3000R轻便型测氡仪,对四川阿坝地区土壤、空气中的氡气浓度开展初步调查。结果表明：(1)测区空气中氡气浓度较高,均在平均值185 Bq/m3附近;(2)所测得土壤的氡气浓度范围为2 736～93 486 Bq/m3,平均值为26 021 Bq/m3,远远高于全国城市土壤中氡气浓度7 300 Bq/m3的平均值,同时在156个土壤氡气浓度被测点中共有91个测点氡气浓度值超过20 000 Bq/m3,而按照国家标准,对于民用建筑工程土壤中氡气浓度超过20 000 Bq/m3要进行不同程度的防氡工程;(3)地质环境、土壤松散度、岩土性质、土壤含水率为影响阿坝地区土壤氡气浓度的主要因素。     

Predicting New Hampshire indoor radon concentrations from geologic information and other covariates

 Generalized geologic province information and data on house construction were used to predict indoor radon concentrations in New Hampshire (NH). A mixed-effects regression model was used to predict the geometric mean (GM) short-term radon concentrations in 259 NH towns. Bayesian methods were used to avoid over-fitting and to minimize the effects of small sample variation within towns. Data from a random survey of short-term radon measurements, individual residence building characteristics, along with geologic unit information, and average surface radium concentration by town, were variables used in the model. Predicted town GM short-term indoor radon concentrations for detached houses with usable basements range from 34 Bq/m³ (1 pCi/l) to 558 Bq/m³ (15 pCi/l), with uncertainties of about 30%. A geologic province consisting of glacial deposits and marine sediments was associated with significantly elevated radon levels, after adjustment for radium concentration and building type. Validation and interpretation of results are discussed. Received: 20 October 1997 · Accepted: 18 May 1998     

A comparison of field and laboratory analytical methods for radon site investigation

Soil-gas radon measurements provide a valuable tool in assessing probable indoor radon levels on a regional basis. However, in Great Britain, seasonal weather changes can cause large changes in soil-gas radon concentration. Although this does not significantly constrain systematic radon potential mapping programmes, it does cause difficulties in responding to ad-hoc requests for site-specific radon investigations. The relationship between soil-gas radon and gamma spectrometry measurements made in the field with radon released from a representative sample of soil in the laboratory has been investigated as part of a program to develop a method of radon potential mapping and site investigation which can be used at any time of the year. Multiple soil and soil-gas samples were collected from sites underlain by bedrocks with widely varying radon potentials. For each geological unit, sites both free of and covered by glacial drift deposits were sampled. Soil and soil-gas samples were taken at the same depth of 60–100 cm. The effectiveness of these radon site investigation procedures has been evaluated by studying the relationship between the soil-gas radon, gamma spectrometry and radon emanation data with an independent estimate of the radon risk. The geologic radon potential (GEORP), which is the proportion of existing dwellings which exceed the UK radon Action Level (200 Bq m⁻³) for a particular combination of solid and drift geology within a defined geographic area, has been used for this study as the independent estimate of radon risk. Soil-gas radon, radon emanation and eU (equivalent uranium by field γ spectrometry) are all good geochemical indicators of radon risk (GEORP) in Derbyshire but only soil-gas radon correlates significantly with GEORP in Northamptonshire. Radon in soil gas discriminates more effectively between sites with different radon potential in Northamptonshire if soil permeability is also taken into account. In general, measurement of soil-gas radon in the field provides the most universally applicable indicator of radon potential. If soil-gas radon concentrations cannot be determined because of climatic factors, for example when the soil profile is waterlogged, measurement of radon emanation in the laboratory or measurement of eU can be used as radon potential indicators in some geological environments. This applies particularly in areas where the soil composition rather than the composition and permeability of the underlying rock or superficial deposits are the dominant controls of radon potential. It appears, therefore, that it may be necessary to use different radon site investigation methods according to the specific factors controlling radon emanation from the ground. In some cases no method will provide a reliable indicator of radon risk under unfavourable climatic conditions.     

氦气的天然气地质意义

氦气具有的不易液化、稳定性好、扩散性强等特点,使它既能在天然气藏中富集,又能垂向运移至地表。氦有大气氦、壳源氦和幔源氦3种来源。3He主要来源于地幔;4He主要来源于地壳,通常以R/Ra来表示氦的来源。氦气具有丰富的天然气地质意义：地表氦气浓度异常有一定油气指示意义;氦气的同位素分布特征值（R/Ra）还具有指示油气构造环境、指示断裂带及旁证CO2气藏的成因等地质意义。     

Determining the spatial scale of variation in soil radon concentration

Increasing concern about possible links between emissions of radon and certain types of malignant disease has led to local and regional surveys to measure radon concentrations in the soil and in dwellings. The spatial scale at which radon varies is largely unknown, and so efficient sampling schemes and methods of mapping cannot be selected. To determine the spatial scale of radon variation in the English Midlands we measured radon in the soil using solid-state nuclear track detection in three areas of different geological complexity. In two of them we used an unbalanced multistage sampling scheme with seven stages of nesting: the Hereford survey covered distances from 10 m to 7.5 km, and the Buxton survey distances from 1 m to 3.75 km. The results from the nested surveys suggested that geology exerts a strong control on the variation. Finally radon was measured every 20 m along a 2-km long transect which crossed several lithologies close to Nottingham. The soil radon values changed in an erratic way along the transect. The sample variogram of radon has a substantial nugget variance, suggesting that much of the variation occurred for distances less than the sampling interval. The structure at the longer scale seems to be controlled by the underlying geology. These results have implications for designing further surveys and for selecting a method of mapping. Stratification based on lithology might be the only feasible solution to sampling, estimating and mapping radon concentrations over large areas. Where the locally erratic component of variation is large, estimation by kriging, for example, would confer little additional benefit compared with that by classification.     

Low pressure radon diffusion: a laboratory study and its implications for lunar venting

Results of a study of radon migration through columns of fine particulate materials, at total pressures of 2–20 × 10^?2 torr, are reported. Materials studied were: NBS Glass Spheres (SRM 1003), Emerson & Cuming Eccospheres (IG-101), activated coconut charcoal, Lipari obsidian, and W-1 Standard Diabase. Rates of diffusion were used to derive heats of adsorption for radon on the materials tested. The most reliable values found clustered around 8–9 kcal/mole.These high heats of adsorption, if typical for most materials, combined with low percentages of radon emanation by lunar soils found by other researchers, imply that random walk diffusion will not be an important mechanism for redistributing the radon and the radon daughters produced in the lunar regolith. In particular, since random walk migration is not a sufficient mechanism to account for localized high concentrations of radon-222 and its daughter polonium-210 observed by the Apollo 15 and 16 command modules, an alternative mechanism is proposed, in which radon would be swept to the surface by other gases during intermittent venting events.     

Reliability of inexpensive charcoal and alpha-track radon monitors

A comparison between single short-term radon measurements and annual radon measurements in basements shows that significant uncertainties should be associated with the short-term measurements. Activated charcoal radon monitors which measure radon over a 3 to 7 day interval yield measurements that should carry a ± 90% uncertainty in terms of estimating annual radon concentration. Alpha-track radon monitors which measure radon over a 3 month interval should carry a ± 30% uncertainty. Decisions about home purchases, home remediation and the development of risk characterizations may often be incorrect if currently popular but unrealistically low estimates of uncertainty are applied to short-term radon measurements. Optimal results are obtained from year-long alpha-track measurements.     

Assessment of soil radon potential in Hong Kong, China, using a 10-point evaluation system

Radon and its progenies have been ranked second of being responsible for lung cancer in humans. Hong Kong has four major groups of uranium-rich plutonic and volcanic rocks and is suffering from radon emanated therefrom. However, there is a lack of radon potential maps in Hong Kong to resolve the spatial distribution of radon-prone areas. A ten-point radon potential system was developed in Germany (2005) to predict radon potential using both the in situ geogenic and geographic parameters under hierarchical ranking. Primarily, the ten-point system requires the desk study of the geological environment of sampling sites, which has an advantage of saving resources and manpower in extensive radon potential mapping over the traditional soil radon concentration sampling method. This paper presents a trial of radon potential mapping in Hong Kong to further verify the system. Despite some slight departures, the system demonstrates an acceptable correlation with soil radon concentrations (R ² = 0.62–0.66) from 768 samples of mainly intermediate radon potential. Hong Kong has a mean soil radon concentrations of 58.9 kBqm^?3, while the radon potential from the ten-point system achieves an average of 4.93 out of 10 over the territory. The vicinity of fault zone showed high soil radon concentrations and potentials, which were conducive to uranium enrichment and rapid soil-gas diffusion near faults. High uranium-238 content in soil was found to cause high soil radon concentration with a large R ², 0.84. The Jurassic granite and volcanic crystal tuff cover more than 85 % of the whole Hong Kong area, and they show relatively high radon concentrations (Geometric mean 83 and 49 kBqm^?3, respectively) which are associated with their high uranium contents (Geometric mean 234 and 197 Bqkg^?1, respectively). While indoor radon concentration is an important factor for radon risk assessment, this study has not considered the correlation between indoor radon concentration and radon potential. The reason is that almost all buildings in Hong Kong are high-rise buildings where indoor radon concentrations are governed only by the radium content in the building materials and the ventilation conditions.     

Interpretation of radon anomalies in seismotectonic and tectonic-gravitational settings: the south-eastern Crati graben (Northern Calabria, Italy)

The study area is located in the south-eastern part of the Crati valley (Northern Calabria, Italy), which is a graben bordered by N–S trending normal faults and crossed by NW–SE normal left-lateral faults. Numerous severe crustal earthquakes have affected the area in historical time. Present-day seismic activity is mainly related to the N–S faults located along the eastern border of the graben. In this area, much seismically induced deep-seated deformation has also been recognised.In the present paper, radon concentrations in soil gas have been measured and compared with (a) lithology, (b) Quaternary faults, (c) historical and instrumental seismicity, and (d) deep-seated deformation.The results highlight the following:

(a) There is no evidence of a strong correlation between lithology and the radon anomalies.

(b) A clear correlation between the N–S geometry of radon anomalies and the orientation of main fault systems has been recognised, except in the southernmost part of the area, where the radon concentrations are strongly affected by the superposition of the N–S and the NW–SE fault systems.

(c) Epicentral zones of instrumental and historical earthquakes correspond to the highest values of radon concentrations, probably indicating recent activated fault segments. In particular, high radon values occur in the zones struck by earthquakes in 1835, 1854, and 1870.

(d) Deep-seated gravitational deformation generally coincides with zones characterised by low radon concentrations.

In the studied area, the anisotropic distribution of radon concentrations is congruent with the presence of neotectonic features and deep-seated gravitational phenomena. The method used in this study could profitably contribute towards either seismic risk or deep-seated gravitational deformation analyses.     

Relationship between radon concentrations in indoor air and in soil gas

In the Ljubljana region, 53 schools were selected for measurements of radon concentrations in soil gas close to a school building, and indoor radon concentrations in one of the ground-floor classrooms of each building. The aim was to establish a relationship between radon concentrations in indoor air and in soil gas from the ground on which the building is situated. Soil gas radon concentrations between 2 and 14 kBqm^-3 were found. Indoor radon concentrations ranged from 20 to 1,440 Bqm^-3, with seven values exceeding 200 Bqm^-3. It is concluded that good quality of the construction elements ensure low indoor radon concentration, regardless of high soil gas radon level.     

Radon-rich waters in Russia

In radon mineral curative waters, according to Russian mineral water classification, the radon concentration should be greater than 185 Bq/l. There are about 30 mineral waters with high levels of radon in Russia. Radon-rich waters have high therapeutic effects. It is proven that natural background radiation stimulates the human immune system. Radon is a natural radioactive gas that has no taste, smell or color. Radon-222 is one of the heaviest elements in the zero groups of inert gases. It is a gaseous radioactive element. All radon isotopes are -emitters while the transformation of its decay products is accompanied by the emitting of -or -particles. The main products of radon decay are short-lived isotopes Po, Pb, Bi, and TL. Belonging to the uranium and thorium decay chain, radon isotopes form directly during the decay of radium isotopes. Therefore the radon concentration depends upon the concentration of its parent's isotope in water and rocks washed by it as well as upon the amount of radon emanation. Loose rocks or rocks with a great number of cracks are characterized by higher radon concentration (zones of tectonic disturbance, weathering crusts, etc.).Crystalline rocks usually have higher uranium concentrations than the average bedrock. Examples of rock types, which often have enhanced uranium concentration >5% ppm U includes the following: granites, syenites, pegmatite, acid volcanic rocks and acid gneisses. In the earth's crust radon migrates either in a gaseous or dissolved state. It can go to the surface without any chemical reaction. Formation of the radon-rich therapeutics waters of Russia has been analyzed, and most of them are genetically connected to crystalline acid rocks that have exceeded uranium-radium mineralization. The radon content in Russia reaches more than 8,000 Bq/l. Radon-rich waters of this type occur in the Altai, Karelia, St Petersburg and Trans-Baikal regions. Another type is connected to geodynamic activity of regions and secondary radioactivity. A well-known example of radon-rich waters of the second type is Pyatigorsk in the North Caucasus. Mixing confined carbon dioxide-hydrogen sulfide water and unconfined groundwater forms radon waters. The radon concentration is 1,170–2,430 Bq/l. The occurrence of radon-rich water deposits in other regions of Russia is described. Further investigation of the radon content in other geological environments will contribute to the environmental safety as well as to the solution to many genetic, hydrogeochronological, paleoreconstructive and prediction problems in hydrogeology.     

Indoor radon correlated with soil and subsoil radon potential—a case study

High indoor radon concentrations in a uranium-radium low-level area in the Eifel region, Germany, near the village of Döttingen are caused by ascending radon migration following the convection of groundwater and soil gas along pathways (fractures and faults) in the bedrock sediments of Lower Devonian age. Positive radon anomalies in the soil gas are found to coincide with the locations of houses showing the highest concentrations. These houses are older buildings without concrete foundation slabs. Normally radon concentrations in soil gas are highly correlated with the values of emanated radon calculated on the basis of radium content in the surrounding soils and rocks (diffusive radon potential). However, close to zones of tectonic fractures and faults around the maar-type volcano of Döttingen abnormally high radon concentrations, which were transported by circulating groundwater and postvolcanic exhalation of CO₂ (convective radon potential) were detected.     

Geological and geochemical factors affecting radon concentrations in dwellings located on permeable glacial sediments—a case study from Kinsarvik,Norway

In 1996–1997, indoor radon values of more than 40,000 Bq/m³ and large seasonal and geographical variations in indoor air radon were reported from a residential area located on a highly permeable ice-marginal deposit. Geochemical analyses of bedrock, groundwater and sediments and comparisons between indoor radon values and soil radon values indicate that the indoor radon concentrations in this area are strongly affected by subterranean airflows caused by temperature differences between soil air and atmospheric air. The airflows concentrate the radon-laden soil air towards the topographic highest part of the deposit in winter and towards the topographic lowest part in summer. In areas where subterranean airflows are likely to occur, radon measurements performed both in summer and in winter provide the best estimate of annual average indoor radon concentrations, and assessments of indoor radon concentrations based on single soil gas measurements are not recommended.     

Impact of the deeper geological basement on soil gas and indoor radon concentrations in areas of Quaternary fluvial sediments (Bohemian Massif,Czech Republic)

The relationship of soil gas radon Rn²²² and indoor radon was studied within the Quaternary fluvial sediments of the Czech Republic. The processing of data selection from the radon database of the Czech Geological Survey and indoor radon data (database of the National Radiation Protection institute) has proved the concentration dependence of radon in Quaternary fluvial sediments on deeper bedrock. The ArcGIS processing was accompanied by the field verification in five profiles, intersecting the granitoid Central Bohemian Plutonic Complex and its rim rock types. Both theoretical and experimental results show dependence of soil gas radon and indoor radon concentrations in Quaternary fluvial sediments on deeper geological basement, thus leading to the conclusion that the lateral transport of Quaternary sediments does not play such a dominant role in radon concentrations, as was thought previously. This fact will enable to determine precisely the radon index of Quaternary sediments (in the Czech radon mapping classified as an intermediate index) into three categories according to the lithology of their geological basement.