Radon-222, 222Rn progeny, and 220Rn progeny levels in 70 houses

A year-long, multipollutant, indoor air quality study involving 70 occupied houses in four states was completed in 1987. All of the houses included in the study had a partial or complete basement with a concrete slab floor and block walls. On an approximately quarterly schedule, integrating monitors for short-lived Rn progeny, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and water vapor were exposed for 1 wk in each house on both the basement and main floors. At the beginning of the study, a pair of alpha-track detectors were placed on top of the refrigerator in the kitchen (or some other sampling location on the main floor) and at a location in the basement. One detector at each location was left in place for a year while the other detector was retrieved and replaced once every 3-mo period. In addition, short-term measurements of Rn and 222Rn progeny were made at all sampling locations once per quarter. In this study, comparisons were made between: (1) seasonal and annual averages, (2) summer and winter averages, (3) living-area and basement results, (4) 222Rn and 220Rn progeny, and (5) short- and long-term measurements. The Rn and Rn progeny concentrations in houses near Huntsville, AL were found to be well above recommended action levels (150 Bq m-3). For houses near Birmingham, AL, summer Rn concentrations were found to exceed winter concentrations, whereas for the other houses in the study, winter concentrations exceeded summer concentrations. Potential alpha energy concentrations (PAEC) from 220Rn progeny were found to be generally less than PAEC from 222Rn.