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 Mobile ViewENERGY SAVINGS in buildings ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - INSPECT, TEST, REMEDY AIR POLLUTANTS, COMMON INDOOR ALLERGEN TESTS for buildings ALLERGENS in buildings, RECOGNIZING ALLERGY TESTS for PEOPLE ALLERGY TEST ACCURACY ANIMAL ALLERGENS / PET DANDER ANIMAL ENTRY POINTS in buildings ANIMAL ODORS IN buildings ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN buildings BASEMENT MOLD BATHROOM MOLD BIBLIOGAPHY for ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, MOLD, IAQ BIOLOGICAL POLLUTANTS BLUE vs YELLOW COMBUSTION FLAMES BLUERAY Recall BUILDING SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE CARBON DIOXIDE - CO2 CARBON MONOXIDE - CO CARBON MONOXIDE WARNING CARPETING & INDOOR AIR QUALITY CARPETING, SELECTION & INSTALLATION CAT DANDER in buildings Cell phone Radiation Hazards CHAIN OF CUSTODY - TEST SAMPLE CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR CHIMNEYS & Flues - Asbestos Transite Pipe FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP MOLD: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO MOLD ACCURACY OF VARIOUS MOLD TEST METHODS ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT INDOOR MOLD CLEARANCE INSPECTIONS - MOLD CLEANUP DO IT YOURSELF MOLD CLEANUP EMF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS & HUMAN EXPOSURE ENERGY SAVINGS in buildings AFUE DEFINITION, RATINGS AIR BYPASS LEAKS AIR CHANGE RATE ACH HEAT SAVINGS AIR CONDITIONING HEAT PUMP SAVINGS AIR LEAK SEALING PROCEDURE APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS ATTIC LEAKS, CONDENSATION & ATTIC MOLD COOLING LOAD REDUCTION by ROOF VENTS ENERGY AUDIT - How to Use a Free One ENERGY SAVINGS MAXIMIZE RETURNS ON ENERGY SAVINGS PRIORITIES ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT CASE STUDY ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT LEAK SEALING GUIDE ENERGY SAVINGS RETROFIT OPTIONS ENERGY STAR PROGRAM ENERGY USE MONITORING GLASS vs HEAT MIRROR SOLAR GAIN/Loss HEAT LOSS in buildings HEATING COST SAVINGS METHODS HIGH MASS TRADEOFFS, HEATING vs COOLING HOUSE DOCTOR, how-to be INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT INSULATION LOCATION - WHERE TO PUT IT RADIANT BARRIERS REFLECTIVE INSULATION ROOF COLOR RECOMMENDATIONS Skylight Energy Efficiency SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS THERMAL MASS in buildings TIMERS for ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS VENTILATION, BALANCED HEAT COST SAVINGS WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS WINDOW EFFICIENCY Features & Ratings WOOD, COAL STOVES & FIREPLACES FIND MOLD in buildings, HOW TO FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP FUNGICIDAL SPRAY & SEALANT USE GUIDE HIDDEN MOLD, HOW TO FIND INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE Air Pollutants, Health Effects Air Pollutants, Common Indoor INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, KEY STEPS VENTILATION, WHOLE HOUSE STRATEGIES VENTILATION, EXHAUST ONLY VENTILATION, SUPPLY-ONLY VENTILATION, BALANCED VENTILATION, BALANCED HEAT COST SAVINGS Air Filtering Strategies Particles in Indoor Air - Chart GAS EXPOSURE EFFECTS Gas Toxicity Levels Gases, Quick Guide to Indoor AIR CLEANER PURIFIER TYPES Air Filter Effectiveness Air Pollutants, Finding & Reducing Radon Hazards Health Effects of Radon Guide to Measuring Radon Effects of Radon on Home Sales How to Remove Indoor Radon Radon Hazard in Underground Homes Formaldehyde Hazards BIOLOGICAL POLLUTANTS BUY PRODUCTS for MOLD & ALLERGY CONTROL Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs Pesticide Exposure Hazards Lead Exposure Hazards Asbestos Exposure Hazards Combustion Appliance Contaminants Backdrafting Appliances Fireplace & Woodstove Contaminants INDOOR AIR HAZARDS TABLE INDOOR COMBUSTION PRODUCTS & IAQ ODORS, Smells, Gases in buildings INDOOR AIR QUALITY METHODS COMPARED LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE LEED GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION LEED Building Designation & IAQ MILDEW in buildings ? 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This article explains the level of radon hazard likely to be found in underground houses, and how to prevent radon gas contamination in concrete and underground houses. See Radon Hazards for details about radon in buildings, its health effects, how to measure radon, the effect of radon contamination on real estate values and home sales, and a guide on how to remove radon from buildings. Also see ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - INSPECT, TEST, REMEDY for our full list of environmental hazard identification and remedy related to buildings. © Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, Daniel Friedman, Steve Bliss, Wiley & Sons, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. Q&A: What is the Radon Hazard in Underground Houses & How do I Prevent an Indoor Radon Gas ProblemThe link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately below is followed by an expanded/updated online version of this article.
The question-and-answer article below paraphrases, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article, (see links just above) from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. Radon BasicsQuestion: I plan to build an underground house of concrete. The location will be in the Northwest where there is a lot of granite rock. I would appreciate any information you can give me on radon in underground housing. -- Harold F. Williams, Lakeport CA Answer: Radon is a colorless, odorless gas released during the natural decay of radium, an element found throughout the earth's crust. Concentrations of radon vary greatly from an average of 0.7 picocuries per gram (of soil) in North American soils to seven to ten times that in New Hampshire granites. Radon enters the home primarily through cracks in the foundation, from unpaved and unvented crawl spaces, and from sump pump pits. Water from deep wells can also be a source of radon gas in air and water in buildings, as can stone and masonry construction materials themselves, particularly when directly exposed to interior spaces. [That's why we don't conduct a radon test indoors by placing the test canister on the brick or stone fireplace mantel--DF]. There is evidence that the average home in the U.S. contains twice the atmospheric level of radon and that basements, on average, contain higher concentrations of radon gas than upper stories. Radon levels indoors are reduced by good building practices such as thorough sealing and waterproofing, positive drainage, and granular backfill - which keep the radon gas out of the house and allow it a route to the outdoor soil surface. Indoor air ventilation to 0.5 air changes per hour (ACH) should minimize any radon-related health hazard except under extraordinary conditions, and water borne radon can be filtered out with charcoal. Medical experts agree that long-term exposure to low-level radon gas increases the likelihood of lung cancer, but the degree of risk is unclear. Radon levels found in problem homes have been compared in risk to smoking one to three cigarettes a day. If you are concerned about the proposed building site for your underground home, radon detectors from Terradex Corporation can assess the level of radon present in soil at the building site. This article is reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss. The text below paraphrases, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article, (see links just above) from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. The question-and-answer article about ... , quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article, (see links just above) from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. Here we include solar energy, solar heating, solar hot water, and related building energy efficiency improvement articles reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss. Additional Radon details quoted from How to Remove Indoor Radon are just below.
If radon levels need to be lowered further, the system can be easily converted to an active system by adding an inline fan, which can meet the target levels in nearly all cases (see Figure at above left, showing a typical radon mitigation system installation). The goal of radon remediation is to lower the average indoor radon gas level to less than 4 pCi/L, and preferably 2 pCi/L. -- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction. Detailed Articles about Radon: detection, correction, & prevention in buildings Radon Hazards "Radon Basics", Q&A article, Solar Age, April 1984, includes advice for radon-resistant construction for an underground house built of concrete See Radon Enviro-Scare for a full discussion of the normal cycle of public fear that accompanies the discovery and publicity of various environmental hazards, including radon gas and see Enviro-Scare, the Cycle of Public Fear for our article about consumer environmental safety worry cycles that change over time. For a Thorough Background in Radon Hazards, Radon Mitigation, & the History of Radon Concerns in the U.S. also see these articles reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss.
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