State of the art of practical countermeasures and techniques and cost-benefit considerations

The doses and risks from exposure to high concentration of radon in indoor air are discussed in the perspective of other risks in modern life as an average for the population and as individual risk to the inhabitants of houses with very high concentration of radon. Interpretation and application of ICRP publication 39 are discussed. It is suggested that in existing structures with infiltration of radon from the soil remedial action be based on the principle of first trying to caulk obvious and accessible openings and, if this is not possible, installing a sub-floor depressurising system. Ventilation of the building is used only if these methods are not effective. Radon exhaling from building materials is controlled by ventilation. In new construction, materials with high activity of radium should not be used and the design should be modified to prevent infiltration of soil gas.     

Radiation exposure in German dwellings,some results and a proposed formula for dose limitation

The results of our investigations in the Federal Republic of Germany on the indoor and outdoor exposure to natural radiation from gamma rays and radon and thoron daughters are presented. Indoor the median Rn-222 concentration was approximately four times higher than outdoors. A correlation analysis of the data obtained showed that indoors the equilibrium factor F is almost independent of ventilation, Rn-222 concentration and other parameters. The mean equilibrium factor was measured to be F = 0.3 in dwellings and approximately F = 0.4 outdoors. The results of our investigations on diffusion coefficients and exhalation rates showed, that the activity concentration in dwellings and in cellars can generally be explained by the radon exhalation from the building materials. Only in areas of high radon concentrations, the exhalation from the soil was a decisive factor. The mean effective dose equivalent by residence in dwellings amounted to 0.2 – 0.8 mSv/a for Rn-222 daughters and approximately 0.1 mSv/a for Rn-220 daughters. A relationship has been derived which permits the calculation of the expected average radiation exposure in dwellings by gamma radiation and by radon inhalation as function of the radionuclide concentration in building materials.     

地下空间氡的产生机理及通风控制

本文建立了土壤和建材的氡析出模型,在充分考虑各个影响因素的前提下,推导出了土壤和建材的表面析氡率公式,并依据此公式,进而推导出了室内氡浓度与通风换气效率的关系式。应用以上公式,对一典型的地下空间模型进行了计算,结果表明:地下空间氡的主要来源是土壤氡气的逸出,约占总析氡量的70豫～90豫;在较高的氡浓度状态下,室内氡浓度对通风十分敏感,增大地下空间的通风换气率,会使空气氡浓度大幅度的降低。因此,若按照地下空间的标准新风量进行设计,控制室内氡水平在400Bq/m3以内是很容易的,但是若要控制室内氡水平在200Bq/m3以内,则至少需要25.2m3/h的人均新风量,考虑新风不能得到完全利用,所需引入的室外新风量至少为31.5m3/h(以地下商场为例)。     

Impact of varying area of polluting surface materials on perceived air quality

A laboratory study was performed to investigate the impact of the concentration of pollutants in the air on emissions from building materials. Building materials were placed in ventilated test chambers. The experimental set-up allowed the concentration of pollution in the exhaust air to be changed either by diluting exhaust air with clean air (changing the dilution factor) or by varying the area of the material inside the chamber when keeping the ventilation rate constant (changing the area factor). Four different building materials and three combinations of two or three building materials were studied in ventilated small-scale test chambers. Each individual material and three of their combinations were examined at four different dilution factors and four different area factors. An untrained panel of 23 subjects assessed the air quality from the chambers. The results show that a certain increase in dilution improves the perceived air quality more than a similar decrease in area. The reason for this may be that the emission rate of odorous pollutants increases when the concentration in the chamber decreases. The results demonstrate that, in some cases the effect of increased ventilation on the air quality may be less than expected from a simple dilution model.     

Determination of Exposure-Response Relationships for Emissions from Building Products

Abstract Building products have been shown to affect the perceived indoor air quality in buildings. Consequently, there is a need for characterizing the emissions from building products in sensory terms to evaluate their impact on the perceived air quality. Determining the exposure-response relationship between concentration of the emission from a building product and human response is recommended. A practical method is proposed based on an air-dilution system connected to the exhaust of a ventilated small-scale test chamber. The method was used to determine the exposure-response relationships for eight building products. For each building product, samples were placed in a test chamber. A typical room was used as a reference to calculate a building-realistic area-specific ventilation rate in the test chamber. A sensory panel assessed the immediate acceptability of polluted air at four different concentrations 3, 10 and 29 days after samples of the building products were placed in the test chambers. The exposure-response relationships show that the impact of dilution of polluted air on the perceived air quality varies between building products. For some building products it may only be possible in practice to improve the perceived air quality marginally by increasing dilution. The results of the present study suggest that for such building products, source control is recommended as the remedy for poor indoor air quality, rather than an increase of the ventilation rate.     

Radon in soil gas — Exhalation tests and in situ measurements

Radon in soil can move into buildings resulting in high radon daughter concentrations. The foundation of a dwelling should be adapted to the radon “risk” which is determined by the radon concentration and the air permeability of the soil. Different measuring procedures are discussed in this paper, both in situ measurements of radon content and laboratory tests on radon exhalation from different types of soils at different water contests.     

Relevance of air conditioning for 222Radon concentration in shops of the Savona Province, Italy

Radon (222Rn) concentration was evaluated in shops of the Savona Province, Italy, between summer 2002 and winter 2002-2003. The main characteristics of each shops were recorded through a questionnaire investigating the ventilation rate and factors related to 222Rn precursors in the soil and the construction materials. The main variables that were related to radon concentration were the following: age of the building, level of the shop above ground, season of the year, wind exposure, active windows, and type of heating system. Shops equipped with individual air heating/conditioning systems exhibited radon concentrations that were three times higher than those of shops heated by centralized furnaces. Our data indicate that the level of pollution in the shops was of medium level, with an expected low impact on the salespersons' health. Only in wintertime, the action level of 200 Bq m(-3) for the confined environment was reached in 10 shops equipped with individual air heating/conditioning systems.     

Radon permeability and radon exhalation of building materials

High radon concentrations indoors usually depend on the possibilities of radon penetration from the surrounding soil into the buildings. Radon concentrations in dwellings up to 100 kBq/m3 were found in some special regions (i.e. Schneeberg/Saxony, Umhausen/Tyrol), where the soil shows a high uranium content and additionally, a fast radon transport in the soil is possible. To reduce the radon exposure of the inhabitants in these 'radon prone areas' it is necessary to look for building and insulating materials with low radon permeability. We examined several building materials, like cements, concretes and bricks of different constitutions for their diffusion coefficients and their exhalation rates. The insulating materials, like foils and bitumen were tested also on their radon tightness. The measurements were performed with an online radon measuring device, using electrostatic deposition of 218Po ions onto a surface barrier detector and subsequent alpha spectroscopy. The mean diffusion lengths for the investigated building materials range from lower than 0.7 mm (i.e. for plastic foil), up to 1.1 m for gypsum. The diffusion length R was calculated from the diffusion coefficient D with R = square root(D/lambda). If the thickness of the material is more than 3 times the diffusion length, then it is called radon-tight. The mean 222Rn exhalation rates for the building materials varied between 0.05 and 0.4 mBq/m2s. The samples were investigated as stones, plates, blocks, foils, coatings, powders etc., no statement can be made about working at the construction site of a building. Also the fabrication and processing of the materials has to be considered, because the material characteristics may have changed.     

Microbial contamination of indoor air due to leakages from crawl space: a field study

Mechanical exhaust ventilation system is typical in apartment buildings in Finland. In most buildings the base floor between the first floor apartments and crawl space is not air tight. As the apartments have lower pressure than the crawl space due to ventilation, contaminated air may flow from the crawl space to the apartments. The object of this study was to find out whether a potential air flow from crawl space has an influence on the indoor air quality. The results show that in most cases the concentration of fungal spores was clearly higher in the crawl space than inside the building. The size distribution of fungal spores depended on the fungal species. Correlation between the fungal spores in the crawl space and indoors varied with microbial species. Some species have sources inside the building, which confounds the possible relation between crawl pace and indoor concentrations. Some species, such as Acremonium, do not normally have a source indoors, but its concentration in the crawl space was elevated; our measurements showed also elevated concentrations of Acremonium in the air of the apartments. This consistent finding shows a clear linkage between fungal spores in the indoor air and crawl space. We conclude that a building with a crawl space and pressure difference over the base floor could be a potential risk for indoor air quality in the first floor apartments.     

Investigations in Special “High Radon Areas” In Germany

The main source of high radon concentration indoors is the exhalation of radon from the soil. In the western part of Germany, two interesting regions, “Eifel” and “Hunsrück”, are selected for these radon investigations. The first region is an area with silt and sandstone of low uranium content but with tectonic fractures caused by postvolcanic activity, whereas in the part of the “Hunsrück” under consideration, the uranium concentration in the ground formerly allowed the extraction of uranium ores. An electrostatic deposit of the first radon daughter (Polonium-218-ion) onto a surface barrier detector and the subsequent analysis of the measured alpha spectra enables the determination of the concentration of radon in dwellings, its diffusion through and its exhalation rate from the soil. A maximum indoor concentration of radon of 8 kBq★m^?3 in a bedroom and approximately 35 kBq★m^?3 in a cellar room were determined in a house built in 1976. The daily variation between the minimum and the maximum concentration indoors amounts to a factor of ten. In these regions the radon concentration outdoors varies between 20 and 150 Bq★m^?3. The exhalation rates of radon from the soil are found to range from 0.002 to 1 Bq★m^?2★S^?1 The effects of sealing the ground slab with polyurethane and removing the air under the ground slab by suction will be presented.     

热回收新风机在住宅建筑中的应用

排风热回收能有效降低建筑物的冷或热负荷,地板送风技术具有换气效率高的优点.介绍了采用新型扁平风管,将排风热回收和地板送风技术结合起来,应用于住宅建筑中的范例.     

Radon concentration in houses over a closed Hungarian uranium mine

High radon concentration (average 410 kBq m-3) has been measured in a tunnel of a uranium mine, located 15-55 m below the village of Kovágószolos, Hungary. The mine was closed in 1997; the artificial ventilation of the tunnel was then terminated and recultivation works begun. In this paper, a study has been made as to whether the tunnel has an influence on the radon concentration of surface dwellings over the mining tunnel. At different distances from the surface projection of the mining tunnel, radon concentration, the gamma dose, radon exhalation and radon concentration of soil gas were measured. The average radon concentration in the dwellings was 483 Bq m-3. Significantly higher radon concentrations (average 667 Bq m-3) were measured in houses within +/-150 m from the surface projection of the mining tunnel +50 m, compared with the houses further than the 300-m belt (average 291 Bq m-3). The average radon concentration of the soil gas was 88.8 kBq m-3, the average radon exhalation was 71.4 Bq m-2 s-1 and higher values were measured over the passage as well. Frequent fissures crossing the passage and running up to the surface and the high radon concentration generated in the passage (average 410 kBq m-3) may influence the radon concentration of the houses over the mining tunnel.     

Modeling ventilation and radon in new Dutch dwellings

Indoor radon concentrations were estimated for various ventilation conditions, the differences being mainly related to the airtightness of the dwelling and the ventilation behavior of its occupants. The estimations were aimed at describing the variation in air change rates and radon concentrations to be expected in the representative newly built Dutch dwellings and identifying the most important parameters determining air change rate and indoor radon concentration. The model estimations were compared with measurements. Most of the air was predicted to enter the model dwelling through leaks in the building shell, independent of the ventilation conditions of the dwelling. Opening the air inlets was shown to be an efficient way to increase infiltration and thus to decrease radon concentration. The effect of increasing the mechanical ventilation rate was considerably less than opening the air inlets. The mechanical ventilation sets the lower limit to the air change rate of the dwelling, and is effective in reducing the radon concentration when natural infiltration is low. Opening inside doors proved to be effective in preventing peak concentrations in poorly ventilated rooms. As the airtightness of newly built dwellings is still being improved, higher radon concentrations are to be expected in the near future and the effect of occupant behavior on indoor radon concentrations is likely to increase. According to the model estimations soil-borne radon played a moderate role, which is in line with measurements.     

高层民用建筑地下汽车库的通风系统设计

阐明了高层民用建筑地下汽车库的平时送排风系统、消防排烟及排烟补风系统和战时人防通风系统的设置及技术分析,介绍了多个系统合用时的典型设计,分析了防火及防排烟阀的主要特征、功能及适用场合,提出高层民用建筑地下汽车库的通风系统是否合用应根据具体工程情况确定,尽量减化通风系统。     

平战结合的高层建筑地下室通风与排烟设计

结合实际工程,介绍了高层建筑地下室的通风排烟系统设计,包括系统的划分,通风排烟量的计算等,还介绍了地下室战时转化成六级人防的二等人员掩蔽所和物资库时平战结合的通风系统设计,包括战时3种通风方式,平战转换方法,送排风系统设计等。     

Radon and Natural Ventilation in Newer Danish Single-Family Houses

Abstract To investigate the effect of ventilation on indoor radon (²²²Rn), simultaneous measurements of radon concentrations and air change rates were made in 117 Danish naturally ventilated slab-on-grade houses built during the period 1984–1989. Radon measurements (based on CR-39 alpha-track detectors) and air change rate measurements (based on the perfluorocarbon tracer technique; PFT) were in the ranges 12–620 Bq m^?3 and 0.16?0.96 h^?1, respectively. Estimates of radon entry rates on the basis of such time-averaged results are presented and the associated uncertainty is discussed. It was found that differences in radon concentrations from one house to another are primarily caused by differences in radon entry rates whereas differences in air change rates are much less important (accounting for only 80,0% of the house-to-house variation). In spite of the large house-to-house variability of radon entry rates it was demonstrated, however, that natural ventilation does have a significant effect on the indoor radon concentration. Most importantly, it was found that the group of houses with an air change rate above the required level of 0.5 h^?1 on average had an indoor radon concentration that was only 50% (0.5±0.1) of that of the group of houses with air change rates below 0.5 h^?1. The reducing effect of increased natural ventilation on the indoor radon concentration was found to be due mainly to dilution of indoor air. No effect could be seen regarding reduced radon entry rates.     

A case study of sub-slab depressurization for a building located over VOC-contaminated ground

A sub-slab depressurization system for protecting indoor air quality in buildings located over VOC-contaminated ground is described. Included in the design is a means of assessing the performance of the protection measures during the lifetime of the building. A case study is presented of the sub-slab depressurization system implemented in two renovated historic buildings located at the site of an old gas works facility with extensive tar and PAH contamination in the soil. Measurements of under pressure under the slab and airflow rates in the sub-floor exhaust ventilation ducts from performance checks both immediately after the systems were installed and then 2 years later demonstrated that the protection measures in each building functioned as planned. VOC measurements in indoor air in the buildings during the two performance checks suggested that the air quality in the buildings was not adversely affected by the contamination in the soil.     

利用地下空间空气蓄冷供冷中最佳通风量的研究

本文对空气流经地下空间中的能量传递过程建立了简化的数学模型,分析了利用地下空间空气蓄冷供冷系统运行的送排风临界温差,并对上海某实际工程中利用这一系统的最佳通风量进行了计算,进一步分析了通风系统阻力、送风温度、地下空间尺寸以及系统运行方式等因素对最佳通风量的影响。     

Vertical profiles of temperature and contaminant concentration in rooms ventilated by displacement with heat loss through room envelopes

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of heat loss through walls upon the gradients of temperature and contaminant concentration in room with displacement ventilation. It is known that conduction heat loss is governed by outside temperature, heat load inside the room, supply air temperature and overall heat transfer coefficient of walls. Experiments were conducted to measure the temperature gradient and the ventilation efficiency in the room ventilated by displacement ventilation with various combinations of heat load and temperature difference between supply air and outside air. In order to simulate the change of seasons, the supply air temperature was changed instead of the outside air temperature. The effect of supply air temperature and heat generation inside the room on the temperature gradient and the concentration of tracer gas were investigated through the experiments. As a result, it turned out that the higher the heat generation rate and the lower the supply temperature, the stronger the temperature stratification and the lower the concentration in the lower zone. Additionally, ventilation heat loss turned out to be a good index for assessing the concentration in the lower zone. Temperature differences of around 3 degrees C between supply air temperature and exhaust temperature are at least needed for displacement ventilation under the conditions of the experiment presented in this paper.     

黄河小浪底电站地下厂房通风系统设计

结合电站地下厂房对外洞群较多且长，发热量大、所需通风量也大的特点，通风系统设计时采用了下送上排，上送下排多层串联的方式，在满足温湿度要求的情况下，减少了总送风量，节约了运行费用。