Radon in Construction

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Radon in Construction
IEMA
Illinois Emergency Management Agency

• Cindy Ladage Patrick Daniels

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What is Radon?

• Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless,
  naturally-occurring, radioactive gas.
• The Surgeon General of the United States Indoor
  radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer
  in the United States and breathing it over
  prolonged periods can present a significant
  health risk to families all over the country.

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R. William Field, PhD. College of Public Health

• Radon is our leading environmental cause of
  cancer mortality in the United States and seventh
  leading cause of cancer mortality overall.

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Lung Cancer Mortality Rates
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Radon Exposure Is Linked to Lung Cancer From
Inhalation of the Gas

• Radon and Radon Decay Products (RDPs) are
  breathed in and the Radon is exhaled.
• RDPs remain in lung tissue and emit alpha
  particles which strike lung cells and may cause
  physical and/or chemical damage to DNA.

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Illinois Policy on Radon

• IEMA recommends testing throughout Illinois.
• IEMA recommends mitigation if the radon level is
  4.0 pCi/L or more.

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Radon Legislation

• Radon Industry Licensing Act (RILA)
• Radon Awareness Act
• Real Property Disclosure Act
• None of these Acts require radon testing or
  mitigation.

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Sources of Radiation Exposure to US public 2009
Other - 1

• Average Exposure 620 mrem
• Assumes average indoor radon concentration of 1.3
  pCi/L.
• Radon is by far the greatest single source of
  radiation exposure to the general public.

Medical X-Rays - 12
Radon - 37
Internal - 5
Nuclear Medicine 12
CAT Scans - 24
Consumer Products - 2
Cosmic - 5
Terrestrial - 3
Source National Council on Radiation Protection
(NCRP Report 160)
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Sources of Radiation Exposure in Illinois

• Average Exposure 1,170 mrem
• Assumes average Illinois indoor radon
  concentration of 4.4 pCi/L.
• Radon is by far the greatest single source of
  radiation exposure to the general public in
  Illinois.

Other - lt 1
Medical X-Rays - 6
Internal - 2
Nuclear Medicine 6
Radon - 67
Consumer Products - 1
Terrestrial - 2
Cosmic - 3
CAT Scans - 24
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Indoor Radon Became an Issue in 1984

• Mr. Watrus set off alarms at the Limmerick
  Nuclear Power Plant when entering.
• Stanley Watrus measured 2700 picocuries of radon
  per liter (pCi/L) of air in his Pennsylvania
  home.
• The Watrus case brought the indoor radon problem
  to the public attention and that of the USEPA.

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Radon Risk in Perspective

• Comparative Risk Assessments by EPA and its
  Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked
  Radon among the top four Environmental risks to
  the Public
• In 1998 Harvard Risk in Perspective, by John
  Graham, ranked Radon the 1 risk in the Home

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Home Safety Council Risks
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How did radon originate in Illinois?

• Glaciers from Canada deposited uranium in the
  soil.
• Radon results from the uranium deposits.

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Where does radon come from?Naturally Occurring
Uranium is the Source of Radon
RADON 3.8DAYS
RADIUM 1600 YEARS
4.5 billion
URANIUM
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Radon Entry

• Radon enters through any opening between the
  building and the soil.
• Air pressure differentials between the building
  and outside air.
• Common entry points are the foundation wall
  joint, crawlspace, and sump pits.

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Stopping Radon at the Beginning

• Radon Resistant New Construction (RRNC)

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What does the Construction Literature Say About
Radon?

• Since 1995, radon control methods have been part
  of the International Code Council, Inc. (ICCI)
  One and Two Family Dwelling Code.
• Does your local building code address radon?

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National Association of Home Builders

• The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
  estimates that one in every six homes is built
  radon resistant in the United States every year,
  averaging about 200,000 homes annually.
• In Zone One areas the NAHB estimates about one in
  every three homes are built with RRNC features.

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Radon Resistant New Construction is Effective

• According to the USEPA, Radon Resistant New
  Construction effectively reduces radon levels by
  an average of about 50 and, in most cases, to
  levels below the 4.0 pCi/L action level.

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What do the numbers mean?

• From 1985 to 2003 approximately 770,000 homes
  have been mitigated and 1,200,000 new homes built
  radon resistant. USEPA estimates that at this
  rate, approximately 650 lives will be saved
  annually.

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Benefits

• What are the benefits of using radon resistant
  new construction?
• Low Cost
• Prevention of Liability
• Marketing Advantage
• Aesthetics
• Changing Building Codes
• fewer callbacks for moisture related problems.
• Radon-resistant Construction for Builders,
  Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources.

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Cost Comparison

• Mitigate Existing Home
• 800 - 2500
• per-home
• (Labor and materials)

• New Home Construction
• 350 - 500
• per-home
• (Labor and materials)

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Who can install a passive radon reduction system?

• The builder or contractor can install the passive
  system. Activation through the adding of a fan
  requires a radon mitigator licensed with the
  Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

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Passive New Construction

• Consists of a vent pipe for a sub-slab
  depressurization system
• Relies only on convective flow of air upward in
  the vent pipe
• May, or may not, reduce indoor radon below 4 pCi/L

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Skeletal New Construction

• Not Recommended - does not usually effectively
  reduce radon.
• May require installation of a vent fan after
  construction.
• May consist of multiple vent pipes of vertical
  and angled runs that may be joined to a single
  termination above the roof or may terminate
  separately above the roof.

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Here is an overview of some of the techniques

• Gas Permeable LayerThis layer is placed beneath
  the slab or flooring system to allow the soil gas
  to move freely underneath the house. In many
  cases, the material used is a 4-inch layer of
  clean gravel. 
• Plastic SheetingPlastic sheeting is placed on
  top of the gas permeable layer and under the slab
  to help prevent the soil gas from entering the
  home. In crawlspaces, the sheeting is placed over
  the crawlspace floor. 
• Sealing and CaulkingAll openings in the concrete
  foundation floor are sealed to reduce soil gas
  entry into the home. 
• Vent PipeA 3- or 4-inch gas-tight or PVC pipe
  (commonly used for plumbing) runs from the gas
  permeable layer through the house to the roof to
  safely vent radon and other soil gases above the
  house. 
• Junction BoxAn electrical junction box is
  installed in case an electric venting fan is
  needed later.
• http//www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/construc.html

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Passive System Components

• An example of the 6 Mil Polyethylene Sheeting

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Passive System Components

• Seal and Caulk All Openings in the Foundation
  Floor.

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Ensure Cost Savings to Homeowner at Activation

• Allow space for future fan installation in attic
  or outside habitable space.
• On each floor and in the attic label the radon
  vent piping..
• Radon Reduction System

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Vent Stack Discharge Point Requirements

• Above the highest eave (at least 12 inches above
  the roof) and as close to the roof ridge line as
  possible.
• 10 feet from any window, door or other opening
  (into the building) that is less than 2 feet
  below the exhaust point.
• 10 feet or more from any opening into an adjacent
  building.

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Typical Fan Designs
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Radon Vent Fan Placement

• Radon vent fans shall be installed
• In attics.
• Garages that are not beneath a heated or cooled
  space.
• On the exterior of the building.

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Where Radon Vent Fans Shall Not Be Placed

• Below ground.
• In heated or cooled space of a building.
• In a basement, crawlspace, or other interior
  location directly beneath the conditioned spaces
  of a building.

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Radon Mitigation System Checklist

• Available from IEMA
• The checklist is a tool for inspecting both
  active and passive radon mitigation systems.

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Radon Systems Must BeAble to Drain

• All radon piping must be sloped to allow
  drainage.
• Water in radon system is primarily from
  condensation inside piping.

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Overall Effectiveness of Passive Systems

• Radon Resistant New Construction (RRNC) methods
  were used voluntarily by 11 contractors in the
  city of East Moline were effective lowering
  indoor radon levels below levels that would have
  been present had the same house been built
  without the system.
• 41 of the homes tested in East Moline (19/46)
  had levels gt 4.0 pico-curies per liter (pCi/L)
  when the passive system was non-operational. The
  only way to see if the passive system is
  effective is to..Test!
• LaFollette, S., Dickey, T. Air Waste
  Management Assoc. 1102-108, Volume 51, January
  2001.

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Upgrading is Easy

• If, after construction is completed, radon levels
  are at or above 4.0 pCi/L, contact a Licensed
  Mitigator and simply activate the system.
• Homes with a passive system can be upgraded to an
  active system with the simple installation of an
  in-line fan.

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Corrective Actions

• Who can install the fan to make the passive
  system active?
• Only a licensed professional mitigator with a
  license from the Illinois Emergency Management
  Agency (or the resident of the home).

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Interested in being a licensed mitigation
professional?

• Take the state approved qualification course and
  pass the state licensing exam.
• Complete a Quality Assurance Plan and a Worker
  Protection Plan

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Can Radon Mitigation System Cause a Water Problem?

• A properly installed radon mitigation system
  should not cause a water problem nor will it
  typically fix a wet basement.

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Requirements of Post Mitigation Testing

• Must wait 24 hours after the mitigation
  installation before starting the post mitigation
  test.
• A short term test is placed in same location as
  first test.
• Must be tested in accordance with approved
  protocol.
• Must test system within 30 days.
• Recommend re-testing every 2 years.

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More Information

• Cindy Ladage [phone]
• cindy.ladage_at_illinois.gov
• Patrick Daniels [phone]
• Patrick.daniels_at_illinois.gov