You are here:
SITE-SPECIFIC PROTOCOL FOR MEASURING SOIL RADON POTENTIALS FOR FLORIDA HOUSES
Citation:
Nielson, K., V. Rogers, AND R. Holt. SITE-SPECIFIC PROTOCOL FOR MEASURING SOIL RADON POTENTIALS FOR FLORIDA HOUSES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-96/045 (NTIS 96-175260), 1996.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
The report describes a protocol for site-specific measurement of radon potentials for Florida houses that is consistent with existing residential radon protection maps. The protocol gives further guidance on the possible need for radon-protective house construction features. In applying the test results, the user should also consider the relative costs of using conservative radon controls and the EPA guidance on further reducing radon levels even in the range <4 pCi/L. The measurements included in the protocol were selected from sensitivity analyses of radon entry into the same reference house as was used to develop the radon protection maps. The sensitivity analyses also utilized the same RAdon Emanation and TRAnsport into Dwellings (RAETRAD) model, proving a common basis to that of the maps. The sensitivity analyses identified radium concentration, soil layer depth, soil density, soil texture, and water table depth as the independent parameters dominating indoor radon. Radium concentration and water table depth were most important. Soils up to 2.4 m deep contributed to indoor radon in uniform-radium scenarios, and soil layers about 0.6 m thick significantly affected radon in cases of non-uniform radium distributions. A conservative upper limit for radon potentials was defined as the 95% confidence limit for radon in the reference house.