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A typical radon test kit Fluctuation of ambient air radon concentration over one week, measured in a laboratory. The first step in mitigation is testing. No level of radiation is considered completely safe, but as it cannot be eliminated, governments around the world have set various action levels to provide guidance on when radon concentrations should be reduced.
The contaminated material is first covered by a minimum one-foot (0.30 m) layer of interim fill, then by a four-foot (1.2 m) radon barrier composed of weathered mancos shale, a six-inch (150 mm) layer of sandy gravel as an infiltration and biointrusion layer, and 3 feet (0.91 m) of a frost protection layer composed of both soil and weathered shale.
Homes built on a crawl space may benefit from a radon collector installed under a "radon barrier" (a sheet of plastic that covers the crawl space). [12] [175] For crawl spaces, the EPA states that "[a]n effective method to reduce radon levels in crawl space homes involves covering the earth floor with a high-density plastic sheet. A vent pipe ...
Radon escapes from the ground into the air, where it produces further radioactive particles as it decays. When people breathe those particles in, they are deposited on cells lining the airways.
Radon can be found in some spring waters and hot springs. [7] The towns of Misasa, Japan, and Bad Kreuznach, Germany boast radium-rich springs which emit radon, as does Radium Springs, New Mexico. Radon exhausts naturally from the ground, particularly in certain regions, especially but not only regions with granitic soils. However, not all ...
A slab-on-grade or basement floor should be poured over a cross-laminated polyethylene vapor barrier over 4 inches (10 cm) of granular fill to prevent wicking of moisture from the ground and radon gas incursion. Inside a steel building, water vapor will condense whenever it comes into contact with a surface that is below the dew point temperature.
Homes built on a crawl space may benefit from a radon collector installed under a "radon barrier, or membrane" (a sheet of plastic or laminated polyethylene film that covers the crawl space floor). ASTM E-2121 is a standard for reducing radon in homes as far as practicable below 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) in indoor air. [111] [112]
The gamma spectrum shows prominent peaks at 609, 1120, and 1764 keV, belonging to bismuth-214, a radon decay product. The atmospheric background varies greatly with wind direction and meteorological conditions. Radon also can be released from the ground in bursts and then form "radon clouds" capable of traveling tens of kilometers. [7]