Demonstrating effectiveness of passive radon-resistant new construction

Fifty percent of homes tested for radon in Rock Island County, IL, have rad on levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action guide line of 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) of air. Therefore, the county is cla ssified by the EPA as Zone 1 on the EPA's Map of Radon Potential. Radon-res istant new construction (RRNC) strategies for new homes are recommended by the EPA in Zone 1 areas. One city in the county, East Moline, reduced the c ost of building permits for contractors volunteering to build new homes inc orporating modified passive RRNC. Forty-six of 124 new homes built with pas sive RRNC in the city were tested during this study. Only 27 of the homes t ested were below 4-pCi/L, justifying the importance of testing the system t o ensure levels are below the action guideline. To provide additional suppo rt to an argument in favor of changing city building codes to the required RRNC, 23 of the homes were also tested with the systems deactivated. After systems were deactivated, 73% of the homes had radon levels above the actio n guideline. Four homes were sampled for bioaerosols to evaluate if passive RRNC might impact other indicators of poor indoor air quality (IAQ). The r esults of the research will be discussed here.