Extreme reverse seasonal variations of indoor radon concentration and possible implications on some measurement protocols and remedial strategies

Abstract

Indoor radon levels in dwellings are typically higher in cold months than in warm ones. The indoor radon concentration might experience an inverse seasonal behaviour – i.e., radon levels much higher in summer than in winter – under specific circumstances.In the framework of a study on long-term variations of annual radon concentration carried out in some tens of dwellings in Rome and surrounding small towns, two dwellings with very high – up to extreme – reverse seasonal variations were accidently discovered. These dwellings were located in a volcanic area, and they are both south-oriented and located on the lower part of a hill.In one of them, radon concentration was monitored by a continuous radon monitor for two years to find out when the greatest rises in radon levels occur. The indoor radon concentration resulted to experience extremely rapid, i.e. very few hours, increases up to 20 000 Bq m−3 during the spring period (i.e., April, May, and June especially). After about ten years from the first observation, the indoor radon concentration of the same house was monitored again for about five years: radon concentration peaks previously observed were found to be unchanged in terms of absolute values, duration, rising time and occurrence period.These reverse seasonal variations may lead to significant underestimation of the actual annual average radon concentration in case of measurements lasting less than one year if performed during the cold season and especially when seasonal correction factors are used. Moreover, these results suggest adopting specific measurement protocol and remediation strategies in houses having some peculiar characteristics, mainly regarding orientation, position, and attachment to the ground.