O. Ennemoser et al., RADON MEASUREMENTS IN SOIL TO PREDICT INDOOR RADON CONCENTRATIONS IN NEW BUILDINGS IN AN AREA WITH UNUSUALLY HIGH RADON LEVELS, Science of the total environment, 162(2-3), 1995, pp. 209-213
We investigated the possible correlation between measurements of radon
concentrations in soil and indoor radon concentrations. Such a correl
ation could be used to estimate the radon concentrations to be expecte
d in new buildings, which is important for the evaluation of building
plots. For this purpose, we measured the seasonal course of radon conc
entrations in 41 tubes along two profiles in an area with unusually hi
gh radon levels (Umhausen, 2600 inhabitants, Tyrol, Austria). Parallel
to the measurements in the tubes, radon concentrations were measured
in the basements of 30 houses located within a radius of 15 m around t
he tubes in July 1992 and in February 1993. Linear correlation analysi
s was performed to establish the correlation between the indoor measur
ements and the measurements in the tubes. Measurements of radon concen
trations in soil give only limited information about the radon concent
rations to be expected in new buildings, and seasonal and local variat
ions make predictions based on spot measurements unreliable.