January marks Radon Awareness Month, a time when public health officials and environmental agencies emphasize the importance of monitoring and mitigating radon gas, a known carcinogen that can accumulate in buildings. Recent measurements taken in my residential setting have revealed a clear pattern linking radon (Rn) levels to indoor ventilation practices, providing valuable insights into how we can manage this health risk effectively.
Short-Term Analysis (7 Days)
The first screenshot presents data for a 7-day period, from January 1 to January 7, 2025. Here, we observe a significant spike in radon concentration on January 5, where levels reached a peak of 114.0 Bq/m³. This short-term data suggests that there was an event or condition on January 5 that caused an unusual increase in radon levels, possibly due to changes in weather, ground conditions, or indoor activities that disturbed the soil or building structure.
Long-Term Analysis (30 Days)
The second screenshot extends the observation period to 30 days, from December 12, 2024, to January 6, 2025. Over this month, the radon levels show more variability, with several peaks. The average radon concentration here is lower between a range from 62.0 Bq/m³ to 75.0 Bq/m³. This longer-term data indicates that while there are fluctuations, the overall radon exposure was less intense compared to the spike observed in the shorter 7-day period. Notably, the highest peak in this period still falls below the peak observed in the 7-day analysis, suggesting that the January 5 spike was an outlier.
This observation underscores the importance of ventilation in controlling indoor radon exposure. Radon, being a heavy gas, tends to accumulate in lower levels of buildings if not properly ventilated. The stark contrast in radon levels between weekends and weekdays in this observation highlights how simple changes in building management practices can significantly impact indoor air quality and, consequently, public health.
For homeowners and building managers, these findings advocate for the implementation of consistent ventilation strategies, especially in areas known for higher radon potential. Regular testing can help in identifying homes or buildings that might benefit from enhanced ventilation or radon mitigation systems.
All in all, the link between radon levels and indoor ventilation is clear from the data presented. January, as Radon Awareness Month, serves as a reminder for individuals to check their homes for radon levels and ensure t§hat ventilation systems are functioning effectively to mitigate this risk. By understanding and acting upon these patterns, we can take a proactive step towards reducing the health risks associated with radon exposure.
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Hello Sotirios, and happy new year!
If you live in a region where Radon is an issue, it indeed builds up very quickly in a home without proper ventilation.
Above is the graph of the radon levels in my home here in Athens during the past week. As soon as we have to close the windows because of the increased wood smoke concentration in the outdoor air, which is usually at night, radon goes up up to 200 Bq/m³ and stays about there until the morning when we can finally open the windows again.
This happens every day since last October, unless the weather outside is windy or rainy and allows us to keep a window open at night because there is not too much wood smoke in the outside air. And when I say smoke, have a look at the graph here below. It’s always a LOT of smoke!
So basically we have to choose whether having higher radon concentrations originating from within the house, or higher PM2,5 due to the outside wood smoke that sneaks in when we open the windows.
To reduce our exposure to both these hazards, I keep 6 HEPA filters running all day long – one per room – that keep the PM2,5 at safe levels, and I constantly babysit the windows to open-close them in order to try keeping the radon concentrations as low as possible. That’s quite stressful and not an ideal living condition, but it’s possible to manage.
The best solution would be to install a radon mitigation system under the ground floor and a centralized air filtering system with HEPA and active charcoal. The first is not really advised by the specialists because officially anything below 150-300 Bq/m³ (depending on the country you live) is not worth the effort. But do we really know what levels of radon are harmful? Not really, yet.
The truth is that with radon, the lowest is surely the better. So having to inhale concentrations of up to 200 Bq/m³ every night, even if the yearly average is around 80 Bq/m³, is not optimal. Hence the need of a good air filtering system that allows having outside air (filtered with HEPA and charcoal in order to keep the smoke outside) coming constantly in the house, so that the radon can be kept as low as possible.
But, best of all, would be not having to deal with wood smoke in the first place… because radon can be managed much easier if the outside air is always clean.
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Hello Sotirios, and happy new year!
If you live in a region where Radon is an issue, it indeed builds up very quickly in a home without proper ventilation.
Above is the graph of the radon levels in my home here in Athens during the past week. As soon as we have to close the windows because of the increased wood smoke concentration in the outdoor air, which is usually at night, radon goes up up to 200 Bq/m³ and stays about there until the morning when we can finally open the windows again.
This happens every day since last October, unless the weather outside is windy or rainy and allows us to keep a window open at night because there is not too much wood smoke in the outside air. And when I say smoke, have a look at the graph here below. It’s always a LOT of smoke!
So basically we have to choose whether having higher radon concentrations originating from within the house, or higher PM2,5 due to the outside wood smoke that sneaks in when we open the windows.
To reduce our exposure to both these hazards, I keep 6 HEPA filters running all day long – one per room – that keep the PM2,5 at safe levels, and I constantly babysit the windows to open-close them in order to try keeping the radon concentrations as low as possible. That’s quite stressful and not an ideal living condition, but it’s possible to manage.
The best solution would be to install a radon mitigation system under the ground floor and a centralized air filtering system with HEPA and active charcoal. The first is not really advised by the specialists because officially anything below 150-300 Bq/m³ (depending on the country you live) is not worth the effort. But do we really know what levels of radon are harmful? Not really, yet.
The truth is that with radon, the lowest is surely the better. So having to inhale concentrations of up to 200 Bq/m³ every night, even if the yearly average is around 80 Bq/m³, is not optimal. Hence the need of a good air filtering system that allows having outside air (filtered with HEPA and charcoal in order to keep the smoke outside) coming constantly in the house, so that the radon can be kept as low as possible.
But, best of all, would be not having to deal with wood smoke in the first place… because radon can be managed much easier if the outside air is always clean.
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Hi Andrea and Happy New Year to you. Interesting addition to the article. Thank you for sharing your data. It is always the case, we have to choose which pollutant we have to prioritize and remediate.
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