<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The second most important source of indoor radon, after soil beneath dwelling, is building material. With the increase in environmental awareness and new energy-saving policies, residents tend to replace the existing windows with tighter windows, which leads to a decrease in air exchange rate and consequently an increase in indoor radon concentration. In case of low exchange rates, dose caused by inhalation of radon and its progeny can exceed external dose originating from the radium content in the surrounding building material. In this paper, surface exhalation rates of radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) from typical building materials used for construction and interior decoration of houses in Serbia were investigated. Surface exhalation rate measurements were performed using the closed-chamber method, while concentrations of radon and thoron in the chamber were continuously measured using an active device, RTM1688-2, produced by SARAD® GmbH. Finally, the impact of the replacement of windows on the indoor radon concentration was estimated.</abstract>

The second most important source of indoor radon, after soil beneath dwelling, is building material. With the increase in environmental awareness and new energy-saving policies, residents tend to replace the existing windows with tighter windows, which leads to a decrease in air exchange rate and consequently an increase in indoor radon concentration. In case of low exchange rates, dose caused by inhalation of radon and its progeny can exceed external dose originating from the radium content in the surrounding building material. In this paper, surface exhalation rates of radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) from typical building materials used for construction and interior decoration of houses in Serbia were investigated. Surface exhalation rate measurements were performed using the closed-chamber method, while concentrations of radon and thoron in the chamber were continuously measured using an active device, RTM1688-2, produced by SARAD® GmbH. Finally, the impact of the replacement of windows on the indoor radon concentration was estimated.

Radon and thoron exhalation rate measurements from building materials used in Serbia

Nukleonika

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The second most important source of indoor radon, after soil beneath dwelling, is building material. With the increase in environmental awareness and new...

Radon and thoron exhalation rate measurements from building materials used in Serbia

Published Online: May 29, 2020

Page range: 111 - 114

Received: Dec 02, 2019

Accepted: Jan 20, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nuka-2020-0017

Keywords
Air exchange rate, Building materials, Radon exhalation rate

© 2020 Igor T. Čeliković et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Radon and thoron exhalation rate measurements from building materials used in Serbia

Published Online: May 29, 2020

Page range: 111 - 114

Received: Dec 02, 2019

Accepted: Jan 20, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nuka-2020-0017

KeywordsAir exchange rate, Building materials, Radon exhalation rate

© 2020 Igor T. Čeliković et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Air exchange rate, Building materials, Radon exhalation rate