INFLUENCE OF HOME SIZE ON THE RISK FROM SOIL-GAS AND WATERBORNE INDOOR RADON

摘要

In a recent study of about 700 homes in Virgin ia and Maryland, three-month measurements of airborne radon derived from soil-gas combined with indoor radon derived from potable water in the home ranged from about 10-40 pCi/L. The radon in the potable water ranged from less than 100 to 8000 pCi/L/L. The home sizes ranged from about 20,000 to 100,000 cubic feet. In a study set composed of all the homes using water with low concentrations of waterborne radon, no correlation was observed between indoor radon and home size. In study sets of increasingly high waterborne radon, a correlation can be seen between waterborne radon and indoor radon. As the waterborne radon increases, smaller homes tend to have more indoor radon than larger homes. In terms of the risk of developing lung cancer , the greatest risk is experienced by people using well water while living in small homes.