Use of radon barriers to reach an acceptable radon level

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Abstract

A method is presented for theoretically estimating the necessary airtightness of a radon barrier. Radon barriers are used to balance the indoor radon concentration. To balance radon at an acceptable level, for a given ventilation rate for indoor air, a barrier must fulfil the requirements for airtightness and the indoor-air radon penetration from the soil, which is determined by the radon concentration in the soil gas. The method identifies the optimal radon barrier for a building. Ten different radon barriers are evaluated. Barriers include system solutions based on materials such as bitumen-based radon blockers, wet-room membranes, reinforced fix mortar pastes, and polyethylene membranes. The barriers are tested using a modified version of the test method NBI 167/02 radon membrane: test of airtightness. The radon barriers are evaluated for a typical building construction for a single-family house with radon exposure from the ground. An acceptable radon concentration of 100 Bq/m3 in indoor air is used in combination with a number of higher radon levels. The different radon barriers are evaluated in accordance with their ability to prevent air penetration from the ground. Furthermore, how mounting a barrier can affect the durability of a building is discussed, as the measures may create a far more vulnerable building.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication12th Nordic Symposium on Building Physics (NSB 2020)
EditorsJ. Kurnitski, T. Kalamees
Number of pages7
PublisherEDP Sciences
Publication date30 Jun 2020
Article number05003
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Jun 2020
Event12th Nordic Symposium on Building Physics, NSB 2020 - Tallinn, Estonia
Duration: 6 Sept 20209 Sept 2020

Conference

Conference12th Nordic Symposium on Building Physics, NSB 2020
Country/TerritoryEstonia
CityTallinn
Period06/09/202009/09/2020
SeriesE3S Web of Conferences
Volume172
ISSN2267-1242

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