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Radon in Finnish apartment buildings
T Valmari1, H Arvela, H Reisbacka
1Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), PO Box 14, Helsinki FI-00881, Finland. tuomas.valmari@stuk.fi
Radiation Protection Dosimetry
|August 29, 2012
Summary
Radon levels in Finnish apartments are similar to ground-contact homes on lower floors. Upper-floor radon concentrations are lower and originate from building materials, unaffected by building age.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Radiological Protection
- Building Science
Background:
- Radon (Rn) is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that poses a significant health risk, particularly lung cancer, when inhaled at elevated concentrations.
- Understanding radon distribution in different housing types is crucial for effective public health strategies and building regulations.
- Apartments represent a substantial portion of the housing stock, yet radon data in these multi-unit dwellings are less comprehensive than in single-family homes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze radon concentrations in a large dataset of Finnish apartments.
- To compare radon levels in apartments with those in ground-contact residential buildings.
- To investigate factors influencing radon levels within apartments, such as floor level and building age.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 106,866 dwellings measured for radon, including 5,560 apartments, collected by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland.
- Compared radon concentrations in ground-contact apartments to low-rise residential buildings in similar locations.
- Analyzed radon concentration variations based on floor level and construction decade for apartments.
Main Results:
- Radon concentrations in ground-contact apartments were comparable to those in nearby low-rise buildings.
- Radon levels in apartments above the first floor were significantly lower (approximately one-third) than ground-contact units and showed little dependence on higher floor levels.
- Newer ground-contact apartments exhibited lower radon values than those built in the 1990s, attributed to reduced soil gas intrusion.
- Radon in upper floors, originating from building materials, showed consistent concentrations regardless of building age.
Conclusions:
- Radon distribution in Finnish apartments is influenced by proximity to the ground and building materials.
- Lower radon levels in upper floors suggest effective isolation from soil gas, with building materials being the primary source.
- Building practices may be improving in newer constructions, leading to reduced soil gas intake and lower radon levels in ground-contact units.
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