Radon and the Alberta Building Code 2014

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1 Radon and the Alberta Building Code 2014 Presented by: Karin Dumais, B.Sc. President, Radon West Ltd. Director, Canadian National Radon Training Centre Ph RADON OK ( )

2 If Levels Are Still High After Occupancy It is fixable Basic system - ~cost under $ Mitigations are effective Our avg. post mit. #s are 42 Bq/m³

3 Today s Agenda Quick introduction to radon Breaking radon myths Implementing ABC 2014 in the field Things to think about

4 Looks Safe But It Wasn t

5 What is radon? - Radioactive gas - Comes from the soil - Can t see it, taste it or smell it

6 Bq/m³ (Becquerel per meter cubed) The unit of measure used in Canada = 1 radioactive decay / second /meter³

7 Why do we care about radon? 16% of all lung cancers are radon induced in Canada Ionizing radiation

9 Breaking Myths

10 MYTH: The health risk is a Healthy DNA long term exposure Radiation damage Broken DNA replicates DNA damage is immediate Diagnosis is later DNA may heal itself wrong Broken Replicates Broken DNA over and over This is how cancer starts

11 MYTH: We don t have radon here

12 Home in the Calgary Area ,194 dental X-rays per year If you worked in a nuclear plant for 5 years at this level of radiation you would only have been allowed to be there 4 months of each year due to maximum dosage levels being reached for OHS reasons Home in Calgary Area Health Canada Action Level USA EPA Action Level WHO Action Level Avg. Indoor Levels Avg.Outdoor Levels Bq/m

13 MYTH: I can test for radon before I build my house

14 MYTH: My house is old so I won t have high levels My house is new so I won t have high levels Source: Dwight Burdette

15 Unless you live in one of these

16 Or one of these

17 MYTH: My neighbour had low levels so I won t test high Low Radon? High Radon?

18 MYTH: Houses have one radon level

19 MYTH: You can seal radon out of It is just too small - radon is a single atom 1 million radon atoms side by side equals the width of a single strand of human hair a building

20 MYTH: Radon is only a basement issue

21 MYTH: Radon in the home is natural House tests at 654 Bq/m³ 10 Bq/m³ outdoor avg. Source E. Walker

22 MYTH: Radon fans need to be outside and the piping vented above the eavestrough TOO COLD!

24 What is the end goal of the building code changes? Easier and more effective retro-fits for active radon mitigation systems if required in the future

25 Differences from Existing Code Part 9 Soil Gas Control 2006 ABC 2014 ABC (prescriptive) - Clean gravel (opt) - Clean gravel - Poly under slab - Perimeter sealed - Penetrations sealed - Radon pipe under slab - Labelled and capped - Sump pit airtight Note: There are also allowances for some performance measures

26 Also Includes Appendix Notes and Illustrations

27 Requirements for ground cover

28 -Min. 100 mm of granular fill under slab - Less than 10% of material through a 4 mm sieve

30 There are performance options

31 Air barrier required under slab Source: cottonwood passivehouse.ca

32 Foundation Sealed to the Foundation - Extended Vapour Barrier Footing Slab Pros: - Easy visual inspection that air barrier and seal are there Cons: - Time and time = $ - Risk of barrier being compromised and radon finding paths into the building

33 Poly compromised within 48 hours

34 Expect to see sealing on footing instead of at foundation wall

35 Foundation Sealed to the Footing Footing Slab Pros: - Fast - that means < $ Cons: - No visual inspection that air barrier and seal are there - Critical to have a good perimeter seal at slab and foundation joint once the slab is poured

36 Foundation Sealed to the Foundation Cut Vapour Barrier at Slab Pros: Elastomeric polyurethane seals together foundation, slab and air barrier Footing Slab Cons: - Time and time = $ - Can only see air barrier before perimeter seal is completed

37 Slab to wall joint caulked (5)

38 Prepare the joint

39 Elastomeric Polyurethane Choose materials that are fit for purpose e.g. green concrete

40 Not enough caulk

41 Should use about one 300 ml tube of elastomeric polyurethane caulk approx. every 7 feet

42 Flattening and pushing against the walls to force caulk against surfaces

43 All penetrations (i.e. pipes, utilities) sealed

45 Radon collection systems - Not Good!

46 Pipe Inlet/outlet

47 Various acceptable - Prescriptive inlet and outlet configurations

48 Straight and braced

49 Loops of perforated pipe increase air flow and reduce pipe blockage

50 Loop of perforated 4 weeping tile

51 Perforated pipe off a T in a loop with Schedule 40 4 pipe

Sump lids can also be the inlet and outlet (Performance) Very effective mitigation systems No additional holes space savers Already need sealed sump lids

52 Sump lids can also be the inlet and outlet (Performance) Very effective mitigation systems No additional holes space savers Already need sealed sump lids add some perforated pipe from the pit to the centre of building Some models allow for sump maintenance without disturbing the installed radon mitigation system

55 Outlet is capped airtight and labeled

56 Not good. Temporary caps and not airtight

57 Not a sewer line it has happened.

58 Sump pit cover required to be airtight

59 Not good. Not sealed around pipe Large horseshoe opening

60 Prescriptive (Deemed to Comply) Perimeter sealing at slab and foundation

Task Completed - % Compliant 100 96 90 80 70 60 50 54 46 42

62 Task Completed - % Compliant Accessible Capped Labelled Sump Perimeter Sealed

63 Things we have seen Source: Hash Milhan

64 Cap them!

65 VENT TERMINAL CLEARANCES CSA-B149.1 Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code

66 Rough-in outlet not in a useable location Likely to be abandoned if future active mitigation system required

67 Furnace placed too close to radon rough-in Rough in Furnace

68 Hung furnace

69 --- Large opening to sub-slab left under furnace

70 Place Radon Pipe Through Interior Strip Footings

71 If Levels Are Still High After Occupancy It is fixable Basic system - ~cost under $ Mitigations are effective Our avg. post mit. #s are 42 Bq/m³

72 Thank you and wishing you all low levels of radon in your homes and workplaces. Karin Dumais Ph.403. RADON OK ( )

Radon Demonstration: Application of Building Code Changes in Winnipeg New Home Construction. April 2014

Radon Demonstration: Application of Building Code Changes in Winnipeg New Home Construction April 2014 Contents Summary... 2 Background... 3 Project Details... 4 The Stakeholders... 4 Parameters... 4 Findings...