The paper presents an overview of the international scientific and technical publications on a problem of radon accumulation in new energy efficient buildings and in houses reconstructed according to requirements of energy saving. Energy efficiency is an important requirement of the environmentally sustainable development. Housing and communal services have significant potential for energy saving. In Russia, the construction of highest energy efficiency classes buildings occurs at an accelerated rate and reached 75% of all multiapartment houses built in 2017. The applying of modern technologies that reduce heat loss is accompanied by a decrease in the air exchange rate, which leads to deterioration of indoor air quality, in particular, the accumulation of radon. In the international literature, there are examples of the several times growth of radon concentration after the reconstruction of the building, the average radon concentration in retrofitted buildings increased by 22–120%. In new houses built to meet energy saving requirements, there can also be a significant increase in radon concentration compared to low-energy efficiency classes houses. Excess of sanitary and hygienic norms was found in some countries, including Russia. Radon exposure of dwellers of energy-efficient buildings is largely determined by the living habits. Based on the review data, it can be assumed that the average level of Russian population exposure to radon can increase under conditions of intensive construction of energy-efficient buildings.
The article presents the results of field studies in the area of the Belarusian NPP in the pre-operational period. The «background» contents of gamma-emitting radionuclides in individual components of the environment are determined. The main array of dose rate measurements in the area of the NPP construction site is in the range 0.048 ÷ 0.089 μSv/h. External radiation in the surveyed area is formed at 96% due to 40K, 226Ra and 232Th. The information obtained can be used to correctly interpret the data of future radiation monitoring during normal operation of nuclear power plants.
A comparative analysis of the radon concentrations in modern multi-storey residential buildings of high energy efficiency class and buildings typical for urban areas of the twentieth century was carried out. The study was conducted in Russian cities located in various climatic zones – Ekaterinburg, Krasnodar, St. Petersburg, Salekhard, Chelyabinsk. The radon concentration in samples of buildings was measured using integrated radon radiometers based on nuclear track detectors according to a single method. The surveyed sample included 498 apartments in multi-apartment buildings. Among all the examined building types, the highest average radon concentration is observed in modern energy-efficient houses – 43 Bq/m3. In other types of buildings, the following average radon concentrations were obtained: brick 2–5 floors – 35 Bq/m3; panel 5 floors – 32 Bq/m3; panel 7–12 floors 1970-1990 years of construction – 22 Bq/m3; brick> 5 floors 1970–1980 years of construction – 20 Bq m3; panel, built since 1990 – 24 Bq/m3. The results of the study confirm the assumption that radon concentration in modern multi-storey energy-efficient houses is on average higher than in typical residential buildings of the Soviet period. The increased accumulation of radon in energy-efficient buildings is associated with a decrease in the building envelope permeability and the contribution of fresh air to the general air exchange. Despite the fact that there were no cases of exceeding hygienic standards for the indoor radon concentration in the framework of this study, the higher radon concentration in buildings of increased energy efficiency requires attention from the point of view of implementing the principle of optimization of radiation protection. In the future, extensive construction of energy-efficient buildings may increase the average and collective doses to the urban population in the Russian Federation.
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