Anti- RADON

WHAT IS RADON

Radon is an element of the periodic table of chemical ements which has atomic number 86 and is denoted by Rn symbol.

Radon is monoatomic inert gas, colorless and odorless, which is released from soil everywhere in the world and from some of construction materials(for example, granite, pumice, brick of red clay).

Radon is released from the soil in a particular active way in the so-called "fracture zones", which are deep cracks in the upper crust, spread over the surface of our planet.

Radon is radioactive and poses a real threat to human health and life. According to experts of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, the effect of radon is the most dangerous on children and young people under 20 years old.

That is why all developed countries of the world have already done or doing cartography to identify areas of high concentrations of radon.

The solubility of radon in water is 460 ml/l , and solubility of radon in organic solvents and in human fat tissue is ten times higher than in water.

Because of its high biological efficiency (20 times higher than other types of radiation), radon is one of the most dangerous types of radioactivity, which leads to internal irradiation. And considering that radon is a gas, pneumonic is the most irradiated tissue.

Entering the human body, radon contributes to processes that lead to lung cancer.

Combination of radon and smoking is especially dangerous. Radon is the second most common (after smoking) factor in causing lung cancer. Lung cancer caused by radon irradiation is the sixth leading cause of cancer death.

Radon is responsible for more than half of the total dose of radiation that average human body gets from natural and man- made environmental factors.

Basic and the most likely path of accumulation of radon indoors is associated with release of radon from the soil, on which the building is constructed.

Because radon is a gas, it penetrates easily into the building through cracks and small pores in the screed and basement walls, concrete floors, through the walls, joints, drains, etc.

Besides, decrease in pressure relative to atmospheric pressure happens during the heating season in buildings. This phenomenon can cause additional leak of radon from the soil plus to the diffusion of radon into the building.

In the winter time buildings are poorly ventilated, so in winter radon concentration indoors increases significantly (research showed that in temperate climate regions radon concentration indoors can be 5-8 times higher than in the outside air) and people staying indoors get most of radon radiation.

In addition, high concentrations of radon in buildings are often associated with construction and finishing materials which are used in construction or decoration of buildings. Radon is usually released from materials, used to manufacture floors and walls, and the reason is radioactivity of building materials and presence of higher concentrations of radon in them.

Thus, total radon concentration in buildings can increase a hundredfold.

Another important fact is that radon gas has high density and therefore spreads in the lower layers of buildings and can affect children, usually playing on the floor.

So, radon is a dangerous gas that enters into our body with air. And since we can not live without air, it should not be dangerous. That means that the air in our homes should not contain radon.

Every house and every room should be tested, and if necessary, method of protection against radon should be selected.

You can buy a special device and independently determine the levels of indoor radon.

You can also contact your local center for radiation protection and ask for testing of your home for presence and level of radon.

In Russia, the norm is 100 Bq/m3 for buildings just put into operation, and 200 Bq/m3 for exploited buildings. In case of excess of these figures, special measures should be taken to minimize the levels of radon.

You can decrease radon concentration in indoor air in the following ways:

- Use of materials that prevent penetration of radon into the building;

- Elimination of radon from indoor air by forced ventilation. However, forced ventilation system needs a source of energy and maintaining. In addition, there are cases when underpressure of air was created in the basement due to the forced ventilation system, and radon concentration increased due to air leaksout of the soil and exceeded the standards at 40 - 50 times!

Therefore, the most important are measures which prevent penetration of radon into the basement from the soil.

Basic measures are hermetic sealing of foundations, floor screeds and basements slabs. To carry out these measures they can use a variety of penetrating coatings, membranes of special sheet or roll materials, various foams and other sealing materials, and they even can build special barriers of monolithic fracture- tough concrete.

However, almost all of these methods and materials are associated with high cost of application, and in addition, they do not meet the aesthetic demands and therefore require additional expenses for cosmetic finish.

KBIL is working on this new Nano Materials which should be the most cost effective in the terms of cost of materials and cost of application works, and also have excellent aesthetic properties. We protect your premise from Radon.