I installed a radon fan for mitigation and the measured radon levels started to drop over the next few weeks from over 8 to under 1 pCi/L. The vent area should not be above or below a living area nor within 10 feet of windows, doors, or openings. The fan systems usually connect a sump well, drain tile, or sub-membrane beneath the building foundation or slab to a fan that then vacuums the vapors including radon gas to the outside where it disperses. The home already had an under concrete slab vent system so it was time to get an active fan system. Urgent action was required! A review of mitigation systems offered alternatives from venting to active fan systems that either pressurize the whole house with outside air or under home depressurization (vacuum). It measured over 8 pCi/L whereas outdoor levels are typically only around 0.3 pCi/L. When I recently bought a house I was told that radon was not an issue. More than what we are exposed to from cosmic rays, medical / dental screening, food, and drink combined! Scientists estimate that half the radiation we are exposed to in our lifetimes comes from radon gas. Worse yet, it clings to dust and surfaces and is easily inhaled making it a severe health hazard. It is invisible, odorless, colorless, and tasteless. It seeps into our homes through the tiniest of openings including tiny cracks in our basement floors, crawl spaces, and building foundations. Radon gas is part of the breakdown chain of naturally occurring radioactive materials in the ground beneath our homes. PrefaceĪccording to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon gas is the major cause of lung cancer amongst non-smokers killing about 21,000 people each year in the USA and 20,000 in the European Union. The software is written in Python and runs under Linux. Radon mitigation monitoring for homes and buildings - This is a DIY project for the Raspberry Pi or similar system using an inexpensive Honeywell sensor with a couple of wires.
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