Builder’s Technical Session

RADON PROTECTON FOR HOMES

Presented by:

LEONARD GIECK

LORECK HOMES

RADONCONTROLS INC.

Presented in Partnership with:

2

RADON EDUCATION

3

•Radon Measurement Proficiency

Course

•Radon Mitigation Proficiency

Course

RADON INSTRUCTORS

4

• William J. Angell

• P.J. (Pat) Wall

• Jack

Bartholomew Jr.

LHC EXPERIMENTS

5

6

NRPP CERTIFICATION

7

8

ALPHA-TRACK DETECTOR

9

Test for 3 to 12

months

CREATION OF RADON GAS

10 Image courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of

Environmental Protection

ALPHA-TRACK DETECTOR

11

1 in 15 homes require Radon

mitigation

RADON MEASUREMENTS AND

LIMITS

Detectors measure:

Radioactive disintegration per second

Unit of measure:

Becquerel (Bq)= 1 radioactive disintegration per

second

Health Canada Guideline:

200 Bq/m3 (formerly 800 Bq/m3)

Another unit of measure:

picoCuries per Litre (pCi/L) where 1 pCi/L = 37

Bq/m3

RADON DOSE STATISTICS

13 Image courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of

Environmental Protection

RADON STATISTICS

14 Estimates in the U.S. from the Environmental Protection

Agency

HOW RADON ENTERS A

HOUSE

15

Image courtesy of Health

Canada

SUBSLAB SUCTION

16 Image courtesy of the Unites States Environmental Protection

Agency

RADON MYTHS AND FACTS

17

MYTH:

Radon affects only certain kinds of homes.

FACT:

House construction can affect radon levels. However, radon can be a problem in homes of all types: old homes, new homes, drafty homes, insulated homes, homes with basements, and homes without basements. Local geology, construction materials, and how the home was built are among the factors that can affect radon levels in homes.

RADON MYTHS AND FACTS

18

MYTH:

Radon is only a problem in certain parts of the

country.

FACT:

High radon levels have been found in every state.

Radon problems do vary from area to area, but

the only way to know your radon level is to test

for it.

RADON MYTHS AND FACTS

19

MYTH:

A neighbor's test result is a good indication of whether

your home has a problem.

FACT:

It's not. Radon levels can vary greatly from home to

home. The only way to know if your home has a

radon problem is to test it.

RADON MYTHS AND FACTS

20

MYTH:

It's difficult to sell homes where radon problems

have been discovered.

FACT:

Where radon problems have been fixed, home

sales have not been blocked or frustrated. The

added protection is some times a good selling

point.

BUILDING SUCTION

21

Buildings can create vacuums, which

creates

air pressure differentials that draw in

SOIL CAPS

22

Frost

SOIL CAPS

23

Concrete or asphalt pavement

SOIL CAPS

24

Water saturated soil

RAIN

25

Rain can displace and force soil gas into

a building

RAIN

26

Rain is often accompanied

with barometric pressure

changes

WIND

27

Wind creates air pressure

differentials in a house that

draws soil gas inside

RADON REDUCTION

28 Image courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of

Environmental Protection

29

30

31

RADON REDUCTION

32 Image courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of

Environmental Protection

33

RESULTS

34

RESULTS

35

247 Bq/m3

RESULTS

36

247 Bq/m3

33 Bq/m3

NATIONAL BUILDING

CODE ADDITIONS

37

NBC 9.13.4.63. Providing for Subfloor Depressurization (See Appendix A and A-9.13.4.3.(1) to (3) in Appendix A.)

1) A gas-permeable layer shall be installed in the space between the air barrier and the ground to allow the depressurization of that space.

2) An inlet that allows for the effective depressurization of the gas-permeable layer shall be provided. (See A-9.13.4.3.(2) and (6)(a) in Appendix A.)

3) An outlet in the conditioned space shall a) permit connection to depressurization equipment, b) be sealed to maintain the integrity of the air barrier

system, and c) be clearly labeled to indicate that it is intended only for

the removal of radon from below the floor on-ground.

4) Where installations are constructed according to Sentences (5) to (8), they shall be deemed to comply with Sentences (1) to (3).

NATIONAL BUILDING

CODE CHANGES

38

NBC 9.13.4.63. Providing for Subfloor

Depressurization 1)5) Except as required in Sentence (3), Clean granular material shall

be installed below the floor-on ground in accordance with Sentence

9.16.2.1.(1).

2)6) A pipe not less than 100 mm in diameter shall be installed

vertically through the floor, at or near its centre, such that

a) its bottom end opens into the granular layer required fill

described in Sentence (51) at or near the centre of the floor and

no less than 100 mm of granular material projects beyond the

terminus of the pipe measured along its axis (see A-9.13.4.3.(2)

and (6)(a) in Appendix A), and

b) its top end permits connection to depressurization equipment.

3) The granular material described in Sentence (1), near the centre of

the floor, shall be not less than 150 mm deep for a radius of not less

than 300 mm centered on the pipe described in Sentence (2).

NATIONAL BUILDING

CODE CHANGES

39

NBC 9.14.5.2. Sump Pits

2) Covers for sump pits shall be designed

a) to resist removal by children, and

b) to be airtight in accordance with Sentence

9.25.3.3.(7).

USEFUL LINKS

40

• Radon Controls Inc.

• http://www.radoncontrols.com

• National Building Code changes regarding Radon

• www.nationalcodes.ca/eng/public_review/2009_2/subject_nbc05_rad

on.shtml

• CMHC publications on Radon

• www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca

• The Lung Association – Alberta and NWT

• www.ab.lung.ca

• Health Canada

• www.hc-sc.gc.ca

• National Environmental Health Association

• www.radongas.org

• World Health Organization Handbook on Indoor Radon

• www.who.int/rpc/guidelines/9789241547673/en/

• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

• www.dep.state.pa.us

Questions?

41