RESULTS OF LONG-TERM RADON MONITORING IN THE TYPICAL SLOVAK FAMILY HOUSE-A CASE STUDY

Abstract

This case study provides a view of the behavior of radon in an uninhabited house, the likes of which were built in thousands in Slovakia between 1950 and 1990. In one room of the house that was in contact with the subsoil, an average annual radon activity concentration (RAC) as high as 1088 Bq m-3 was found. A high radon supply to this room from the subsoil was identified in the corner of the room, and this correlated very well with the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor air. In this room, an atypical annual variation of RAC was found, with a maximum in September (1600 Bq m-3). In the other rooms on the ground floor, RACs at the level of 400-500 Bq m-3 were detected. In the rooms on the first floor, RACs of up to ~200 Bq m-3 were found.