Can you reduce radon by ventilating?
YES - you can. DUKA Ventilation has been part of several projects investigating whether radon levels can be reduced through ventilation.
Another factor that can affect our health is radon and its presence in our homes. Radon is a gas that is naturally found underground and is more prevalent in some areas than others. Radon can't be smelled or tasted and the effects are not felt immediately - it can take between 10 to 40 years. Radon is the cause of around 300 new cases of lung cancer every year. A nationwide study suggests that up to 350,000 houses in Denmark have excessive radon levels in their indoor environment.
There are several ways to protect your home against radon. These include installing a radon membrane under the floors or a radon vacuum under the house, but these solutions are often quite costly. And the membrane will also mean additional sealing of the house, which requires ventilation. DUKA Ventilation has participated in several projects investigating whether ventilation can reduce the occurrence of radon, and the results have been extremely positive. The incidence of radon has been reduced by up to 90 %. And then there are the added benefits of ventilation in terms of a good indoor climate with fresh air around the clock, minimised heat loss and removal of moisture from the home, all of which contribute to a healthy indoor climate and a healthy home.
Morten's radon level was reduced from 800 bq/m3 to below 100 bq/m with DUKA One
Morten lives in SIlkeborg with his family. They live in a classic detached house with a basement. In the basement, the teenage children have a TV/games room, there is an office and a guest room. As the basement is an integral part of the home, Morten wanted to have the radon level measured to ensure no one was exposed to the radioactive gas radon.
The family bought a radon test where the radon level in the basement was measured for 2 months. The measurement showed an average radon level of 800 bg/m3. The Danish authorities do not recommend radon levels exceeding 100 bq/m3.
Initially, they solved the problem by having doors and windows open to the basement, but as soon as autumn arrived, this solution was not optimal and also became expensive to heat. Morten investigated several alternatives to get rid of the radon levels and chose to install two DUKA One units in the basement. The choice fell on DUKA One as the solution constantly replaced the air, so there was no build-up, they were able to ventilate the air and at the same time reuse the heat they already had in the home.
After the solutions were installed, they measured the radon level in the basement and already the day after the solutions were installed, the radon level dropped by 81 % even though the unit was running at the lowest ventilation rate. The measurements continued to show a radon reduction of up to 91%.
Thomas got a basement with fresh air and reduced the radon level to below 100 bq/m3
Thomas lives in the Roskilde area with his family. Roskilde is in the next-highest Radon category, and as the family lives in a house with a basement, Thomas was concerned that there was Radon in their home. They invested in a digital radon meter and measured a radon level of 383 bq/m3, and as the basement is used a lot, the radon level meant they needed to find a solution to reduce the radon level.
One of the solutions they looked at was to install a 2-component radon membrane on the concrete deck, but this solution easily ran into 100,000 DKK. As radon is a gas, he looked at a ventilation solution so that the air is constantly changed.
They chose to install DUKA One units as they can be installed directly into the exterior wall and do not require complicated pipework, and with DUKA One solutions they can also reuse the heat they already have. After the installation, their radon level dropped to 71 bq/m3.
