A Simple Method for Determining the Diffusion Coefficient of Radon in Concrete Samples Using Charcoal

摘要

Radon is one of the most dangerous carcinogens that causes cancer.For this reason,in many countries of the world,the indoor radon is limited.For example,in Israel,the reference level of the radon concentration is 200 Bq/m~3 for homes and 500 Bq/m~3 for working places.The main source of indoor radon is soil,so building materials and structures in the underground part of the building,such as concrete in foundation slab,should prevent the transport of soil radon into the building.However,due to aging and deterioration of concrete in time,its permeability to radon increases.An important characteristic of material permeability is radon diffusion coefficient,which is often used to evaluate quality of radon barrier materials.In addition,radon diffusion coefficient can be used to indicate concrete performance in terms of its durability,similarly to diffusion coefficients of chloride ion,air,oxygen,carbon dioxide and water,which cause detrimental effects in concrete.The advantage of testing diffusion of radon is that it does not interact chemically with concrete constituents,because is a noble gas.