[en] Short communication

[en] The chartered surveyor is responsible for assessing the influence of radon on property and advising his client. He must examine the physical elements of the building and consider the psychological effects of defects on his client and direct neighbours. The reactions of house builders, purchasers and surveyors to the possibility of radon problems have been investigated. Many surveyors now include comments on radon in their reports. Despite these comments and the publicity surrounding radon, there is no evidence that the problem has deterred house builders or purchasers in southwest England. (Author)

[en] About 120 homes in Slovenia, Yugoslavia, were selected in urban areas, in a uranium raine and mill region, around coal-fired plants and around a phosphate mill. Radon-222 in air was determined using alpha scintillation cells and the gamma dose rate measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters. The levels obtained were explained by differences in building materials and ventilation rates of homes, as well as by the influence of man-made radioactivity sources. The results show that in the same region radon concentration, expressed as geometric mean, can be up to eight times higher in winter than in the autumn (Pohorje) or nine times higher in one region relative to another (Zirovski vrh - Zasavje). 4 refs.; 5 figs.; 2 tabs

[en] Abstract only

[en] Radon in individual homes may be the greatest source of radiation that people are exposed to during a lifetime. In areas where radon concentrations in homes are high, people may be exposed to more radiation than were the Russian people living in the vicinity of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Studies indicate that the radon exposure contributes to 5000 to 20,000 deaths per year from lung cancer and that smoking may have a lethal interaction with the radon exposure. One study found an average annual concentration of radon in living spaces of 1.5 picocuries per liter. 7% of U.S. homes were found to have a radon concentration above the 4 picocuries per liter level set by the Environmental Protection Agency, and 1 - 3% of the homes have levels above 8 picocuries. Some ways are described for changing the air pressure in a house so that air is not constantly drawn from the permeable soil where the radon originates

[en] This research involves data from dwellings built up with different types of raw materials found spread in the province of Pichincha - Ecuador. The SSNTD method using a cellulose nitrate sensible film LR-115 was used for the research. The incidence of temperature, altitude, ventilation on the concentration gas radon-222 were also subject of a qualitative study. Eventually, the results show that the adobe dwellings and/or poorly ventilated dwellings prodece maximum concentration of radon-222 than first or second floor, meaning that, the gas is also coming up from the ground. In any case the level of radon-222 concentration is less than the acceptet limit, 200 Bq/m^3, by UNCEAR. Only places, such as Mindo and Calderon, surpass the limit

[en] This report sets out the findings of the Institution of Environmental Health Officer's survey on Radon in homes in the United Kingdom between November 1987 and April 1988. The report gives a brief introduction to radon, the health effects of radon, the remedial measures available, and the results of the survey itself, which did not include any houses in Cornwall, Devon or Somerset. (author)

[en] Abstract only

[en] This report presents the results of the final phase of the National Radon Survey carried out by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. The counties included in this phase are Galway and Mayo. The average radon concentrations for the houses measured in these counties were 112 Bq/m³ and 100 Bq/m³, respectively. The measurement data were grouped on the basis of the 10 km grid squares of the Irish National Grid System and used to predict the percentage of dwellings in each grid square which exceeds the Reference Level of 200 Bq/m³. Grid squares where this percentage is predicted to be 10% or higher are designated High Radon Areas. The health effects of exposure to high radon levels are discussed and recommendations are made regarding both new and existing dwellings. (author)

[en] Abstract only