Radon Gas, the silent killer, yet unknown by many. Updated situation in mainland Spain.
Radon, the enemy may be in your house. Almost 300,000 homes in Spain are exposed to high levels of radon, a gas that is the second cause of lung cancer after tobacco. In Spain, around 1,600 people die each year from breathing in radioactive particles in their homes.
There has been much discussion as to what is a safe level of radon gas in a home. In short, no level is a safe level as radon is a dangerous radioactive gas. Even in properties where the levels are low, the internal environment of a home can effect the buildup of gas. Poor indoor air quality where levels of high humidity creates heavy air layers, especially in basements and under builds, keeping the gas low and allowing a buildup to a dangerous level.
The Radon map shows a higher concentration of indoor radon gas in the yellow to brown areas, the white areas are either low population, or yet to be mapped, it does not indicate they are free of radon gas. As a broad guide, properties near sea level have less risk, a little back inland in rocky terrain above the coastline and the levels are higher.
Why a radon survey is important.
I was recently called out by a client to undertake a full house survey on a high end property they were considering purchasing. The villa was around ten years old and well maintained, so little to find fault with, that is until I undertook a radon test.
My test meter was showing high level counts of radio activity. In such cases a further test has to be set up with specialist data collection meters run over a seven day period with the units placed in selected areas within the property.
The following week I returned to check the meters to find a very high radon presence. which literally made the house unsafe for habitation. The owners were totally unaware of the radon, as it has no smell or visual print and can only be detected with specialist meters and a technician trained to interpret the data.
So there is radon radiation gas in the property, is there a procedure to make the house safe?
Understanding radon gas is essential if an effective eradication plan is to be drawn up.
Basically there are two methods, sealing and air pressure / exhaust induced movement, very often both methods are required.
Radon gas is approximately 7.5 times heaver than air. Further more it has no chemical affinity, so is easily influenced by air movements and pressure, but does have a magnetic element which is traceable.
For this reason expelling the gas by forced air systems (which I may say are widely used) can easily result in distributing the gas throughout the entire property and drawing more radon gas into the building.
Getting the parametric pressure element and exhaust system correctly balanced is of paramount importance.
Discharging radon gas is a complex matter. Randomly discharge it at low levels and the concentration falloff will have not taken place, as the concentration of radon at the discharge point can be tens of thousands of picocuries per minute, therefore creating a danger zone at ground levels and the possibility of reentry into the property.
Testing for Radon. As so many indoor elements can effect the test outcome, I believe there is really only one way to undertake a radon check professionally, that is with a physical hands on survey. The practice of mailing small cheap chemical censors and asking the home owner to place censors in various rooms then monitoring remotely, is not the answer.
A full property survey is required, both internally and externally. Air quality levels need to be checked to ensure the humidity levers are correct, as at a constant value of radon concentration, measured values have been found to increase linearly with increasing humidity, from 30% RH up to a value of ∼85% RH. So any measurement of radon levels in high humidity could be up to 300% inaccurate. Furthermore, I have found that placed sensors and installed smart home monitors can be greatly effected by indoor pollution, such as gasses produced from spores, mould and bacteria.
Low levels of radon gas is everywhere, it when the numbers rise we need to be concerned. So get your property tested, you can read more and book a survey on my website: www.123bmt.net
I am available to travel nationally and internationally. Make contact with your location and I can give you a costing.
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