Short-Term Indoor Radon Gas Study in a Granitic School Building: A Comparative Analysis of Occupation Periods | SpringerLink
Skip to main content

Short-Term Indoor Radon Gas Study in a Granitic School Building: A Comparative Analysis of Occupation Periods

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Science and Technologies for Smart Cities (SmartCity 360 2019)

Abstract

Granite territories continuously release radon, a radioactive gas that can be very harmful to human health. The assessment of radon gas indoor concentration is relevant for granitic buildings that lie over this substrate. In this work we use a sensor system to study the variation through time of indoor air quality (IAQ) parameters like radon concentration, temperature, and humidity following the occupation pattern of a school building made of granite. We identify distinctive radon concentration patterns that can be related with the time of day and week days that result from human occupation of the building and establish a basic indicator for radon exposure risk. The results of this analysis identify critical periods during the day that should be the subject of future mitigation strategies through an actuator system in order to improve the IAQ.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
¥17,985 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
JPY 3498
Price includes VAT (Japan)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
JPY 5719
Price includes VAT (Japan)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
JPY 7149
Price includes VAT (Japan)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. World Health Organization: WHO handbook on indoor radon – a public health perspective. World Health Organization (2009). ISBN 978 924 154 767 3

    Google Scholar 

  2. Curado, A., Silva, J., Carvalho, L., Lopes, S.I.: Indoor Radon concentration assessment in a set of single family houses: case study held in Barcelos, North of Portugal. Energy Procedia 136, 109–114 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. European Union: Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom. E.U. Official Journal, 5 December (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Lopes, S.I., et al.: On the design of a Human-in-the-Loop Cyber-Physical System for online monitoring and active mitigation of indoor Radon gas concentration. In: 2018 IEEE International Smart Cities Conference (ISC2), Kansas City, MO, USA, pp. 1–8. IEEE (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Baixeras, C., Font, L.L., Fernandez, F., Domingo, C.: Indoor radon levels in a public school and some dwellings from the village of Teià, Catalonia, Spain. In: Proceedings of the 1996 International Congress on Radiation Protection. Vienna, Austria (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Madureira, J., Paciência, I., Rufo, J., Moreira, A., de Oliveira Fernandes, E., Pereira, A.: Radon in indoor air of primary schools: determinant factors, their variability and effective dose. Environ. Geochem. Health 38(2), 523–533 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-015-9737-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lopes, S.I., Silva, J., Antão, A., Curado, A.: Short-term characterization of the indoor air radon concentration in a XII century monastery converted into a school building. Energy Procedia 153, 303–308 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Azara, A., et al.: Indoor Radon exposure in Italian schools. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 15(4), 749 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Gordon, K., et al.: Radon in schools: a brief review of state laws and regulations in the United States. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 15(10), 2149 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Baskaran, M.: Radon: A Tracer for Geological, Geophysical and Geochemical Studies. Springer, Basel (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21329-3

    Book  Google Scholar 

  11. Schieweck, A., et al.: Smart homes and the control of indoor air quality. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 94, 705–718 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Cociorva, S., Iftene, A.: Indoor air quality evaluation in intelligent building. Energy Procedia 112, 261–268 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Guyot, G., Sherman, M., Walker, I.: Smart ventilation energy and indoor air quality performance in residential buildings: a review. Energy Buildings 165, 416–430 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Chao, C., Hu, J.: Development of a dual-mode demand control ventilation strategy for indoor air quality control and energy saving. Building Environ. 39(4), 385–397 (2004)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This contribution has been developed in the context of the Project “RnMonitor - Online Monitoring Infrastructure and Active Mitigation Strategies for Indoor Radon Gas in Public Buildings on the Northern Region of Portugal (Ref. POCI-01- 0145-FEDER-023997)” funded by FEDER (Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional) through Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nuno Lopes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Azevedo, R., Silva, J.P., Lopes, N., Curado, A., Lopes, S.I. (2020). Short-Term Indoor Radon Gas Study in a Granitic School Building: A Comparative Analysis of Occupation Periods. In: Santos, H., Pereira, G., Budde, M., Lopes, S., Nikolic, P. (eds) Science and Technologies for Smart Cities. SmartCity 360 2019. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 323. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51005-3_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51005-3_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-51004-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-51005-3

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics