title: Low air exchange rate causes high indoor radon concentration in energy-efficient buildings.
abstract: Since 1995, requirements on energy-efficient building construction were established in Russian Building Codes. In the course of time, utilisation of such technologies became prevailing, especially in multi-storey building construction. According to the results of radon survey in buildings constructed meeting new requirements on energy efficiency, radon concentration exceeds the average level in early-constructed buildings. Preponderance of the diffusion mechanism of radon entry in modern multi-storey buildings has been experimentally established. The experimental technique of the assessment of ventilation rate in dwellings under real conditions was developed. Based on estimates of average ventilation rate, it was approved that measures to increase energy efficiency lead to reduction in ventilation rate and accumulation of higher radon concentrations indoors. Obtained ventilation rate values have to be considered as extremely low.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Industrial Ecology UB RAS, Sophy Kovalevskoy St., 20, Ekaterinburg 620990, Russia vav@ecko.uran.ru.
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Vasilyev
authors.affiliation: Institute of Industrial Ecology UB RAS, Sophy Kovalevskoy St., 20, Ekaterinburg 620990, Russia.
authors.forename: I V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Yarmoshenko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Industrial Ecology UB RAS, Sophy Kovalevskoy St., 20, Ekaterinburg 620990, Russia.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Zhukovsky
mesh_terms: D000392:Air Movements; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D000465:Algorithms; D001417:Background Radiation; D005160:Facility Design and Construction / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D006798:Housing / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D000069079:Radiation Exposure; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis; D012426:Russia; D014691:Ventilation
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D011886:Radon