A newer-built structure with HVAC ducting running under the slab. IAQ could be as much of an issue as radon. The ground is cool and moist and the ducting inside is handling warmer air. Much the same as “the perfect storm".
A typical example of poly just laid over soil, unattached, and unsealed. IAQ as well as radon are the issues here.
Radon gas and the impact of it in our schools By Paul Muntak
T
he term “radon” seems fairly new, or even unheard of to many people. So, what is radon gas? It is the natural radioactive decay of uranium in soil and rock. It ultimately breaks down into radon, which is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, chemically inert gas. It occurs everywhere on
earth. We even have low levels of radon in the outdoor air we breathe. Radon levels can significantly increase when contained within a building envelope that is in contact with the soil (so unless you are on a houseboat, or have built up on stilts, there is a potential radon issue). It is important to note, that not every building will have an issue with radon, even in potentially “high” radon zones, but on the other hand, buildings that are located in potentially “low” radon zones can have significant radon issues. The simple take-away message is no matter where the building is located, the only true way to know if you have an issue is to test for it. Radon is the second-most leading cause of all lung cancers. AccordTypical system with radon fan installed and exhausting from below the slab /membrane to the exterior.
ing to Dr. Bill Field, one of our foremost experts on radon, in an interview with Jeff Rosen of Today, “Of all the environmental exposures you get, this is the one that causes the most deaths.” As a society, we have gone to great lengths to protect our youth from smoking and its effects by increasing the age limits, taking the visual impact away, etc. More needs to be done with radon. Also, in the interview with Dr. Field, when asked “If you had to compare radon exposure to smoking, what are these children being exposed to?” Field’s response was, “Well, if a student’s exposed, even at the U.S. EPA’s action level, four picocuries per litre (148 Bq/m³),
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Ops Talk • Spring 2017
