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RADON GENERATION AND TRANSPORT THROUGH CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS
Citation:
Rogers, V., K. Neilson, M. Lehto, AND R. Holt. RADON GENERATION AND TRANSPORT THROUGH CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-94/175 (NTIS PB95-101218), 1994.
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
The report gives results of an examination of radon generation and transport through Florida residential concretes for their contribution to indoor radon concentrations. Radium concentrations in the 11 concretes tested were all <2.5 pCi/g and radon emanation coefficients were all <0.08. Measurements on the constituents of four of the concretes revealed that radium concentrations >1 pCi/g were generally due to elevated radium in the aggregate, but occasionally from radium in the cement. Because the aggregates tested generally had very low emanation coefficients, elevated radium in the aggregate had a lesser impact on indoor radon than elevated radium in the cement component. Diffusion coefficients for Florida concrete samples range from 0.00018 to 0.0046
sq cm/sec., but air permeability coefficients are generally < 10 to the minus 11th power sq cm. Thus, advection through a concrete slab is negligible compared to diffusion. Finally, the report presents simple correlations for diffusion and permeability coefficients and for radon generation in concrete and entry into dwellings.