SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1995
STP14690S

Assessing the Effectiveness of Slab Flooring as a Barrier to Soil Gas and Radon Infiltration

Source

Experimental studies on the entry of soil gas and radon into slab-on-grade buildings have been carried out in instrumented, single-zone test structures. This work, as part of the Florida Radon Research Program, focused on the effectiveness of slab flooring variants as barriers to soil gas/radon entry. A second objective was the study of the role of subslab fill soil as both a potential source of and barrier to radon entry. Studies were made in well-sealed (∼600 mm2 ELA) unoccupied test buildings placed on well-characterized, radium-bearing sandy fill soil. The buildings were instrumented with data acquisition systems to continuously monitor indoor radon concentrations, differential pressures at several subsurface locations, weather conditions, and soil moisture. The response of the structures to mechanical depressurization as well as natural driving forces was measured. Limited measurements were made regarding direct diffusive transport of radon through apparently intact concrete slabs, as well as transport through cracks in the floor structure.

Author Information

Williamson, AD
Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, AL
Fowler, CS
Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, AL
McDonough, SE
Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, AL
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Developed by Committee: E06
Pages: 68–78
DOI: 10.1520/STP14690S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5310-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-2023-5