Radon (radioactive gas) in the basement

Hello everyone,

I have heard that the radioactive gas radon can accumulate in the basement and is harmful to health if you spend time in the basement frequently (lung cancer). Measurements showed that the level is at 250 Bq/m3. From 100 Bq/m3 it is supposed to be problematic, at workplaces the value must not exceed 300 Bq/m3. Have you ever heard of this? Is it really such a big issue? By ventilating, I was able to reduce the level to 20 Bq/m3... after a day with closed windows, the value was already back at 100. Unfortunately, I made a drill hole in the basement wall that was not properly sealed. I am now considering how to deal with the whole issue: more ventilation (problem with humidity in summer and insect screens, since the rooms are partly used as recreational space), radon ventilation system, sealing drill holes... etc. What do you think and what experiences have you had?

One has already heard about it and it can occasionally be read about it here in the forum as well. Ultimately, radon is natural and has always been present in more or less strong concentrations, depending on the underground and weather conditions. A high radon exposure in the room usually results from leaks in the basement; the recommendations for new buildings are relatively simple: make your basement airtight. You do that anyway. You don’t stay in a leaky basement for long anyway, for other reasons, so I wouldn’t panic about it. If elevated radon is measured, ventilate it out and separate the basement from the living areas so that it doesn’t rise up. There’s not much more you can do.

Hello,

Radon exposure is nothing new and is a naturally occurring hazard. It is also not without concern. Radon is responsible for 5% of all lung cancer cases. On the pages of the [Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz] there is detailed information about soil contamination in different areas. In some regions, this indeed results in building regulations on how you have to construct a basement.

You can only try to seal the basement and ventilate it. Ideally with a ventilation system. If you want to spend a lot of time there, you should have something like that anyway.

Best regards,
Andreas

It's best to always keep an eye on the values with a measuring device and ventilate ventilate ventilate.

It was a long time ago that I dealt with this topic. I don't remember it clearly now and my studies were some time ago, but I recall the isotopes Radon 220 (alpha decay to Polonium-216 and Lead-212) and Radon 222, which arises from the alpha decay of Radium. When inhaled, these decay products settle in the bronchi. I have a radiologist among my friends who said that about 5-8% of carcinomas in the respiratory tract are attributable to radon. The topic is not unimportant but is more related to older basements. As previous speakers have already said, there are certain sources of danger or circumstances that increase the concentration in the basement. There is an online radon map of Germany that shows the naturally occurring radon concentrations. I once had the fun of borrowing a measuring device from a friend and leaving it in the basement overnight, with windows closed: 0.11 μSv/h was the result. So an average value of 0.11 microsieverts. Not a particularly high value, but it was only a comparatively short measuring period. To reliably measure radiation exposure, only a long-term measurement is meaningful excluding random influencing factors.

Since the accumulation of decay products can be well prevented by ventilation (the half-life of radon is 3.8 days), I wouldn't stress about it anymore. By the way, the same radiologist also told me that almost all natural stones such as marble and granite also emit measurable radiation. Bananas contain the isotope potassium-40. Brazil nuts emit 10 becquerels of radium per kg. So where do you start, where do you stop. We now have a new build with a white tank and a central ventilation system and see ourselves well equipped against the "danger."

If you have a poorly sealed hole in the basement, I would seal it first. Maybe that will solve the problem.