[ RadSafe ] Re: Selective ventilation

[Kai Kaletsch]

Jerry asked: "Given an indoor atmosphere containing both radon and smoke, 
how would opening windows, or any other form of ventilation  mitigate one 
but not the other?"

It doesn't. Smokers would open a window to let smoke out and radon escapes 
with it. Non-smokers have no reason to open windows and therefore have 
higher radon levels.

Kai

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jjcohen" <jjcohen at prodigy.net>
To: "Kai Kaletsch" <eic at shaw.ca>; "radsafe" <radsafe at radlab.nl>
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 9:03 AM
Subject: Re: Selective ventilation


> Given an indoor atmosphere containing both radon and smoke, how would
> opening windows, or any other form of ventilation  mitigate one but not 
> the
> other?
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Kai Kaletsch <eic at shaw.ca>
> To: jjcohen <jjcohen at prodigy.net>; radsafe <radsafe at radlab.nl>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 5:52 AM
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Residential radon risk
>
>
>> Jerry asked: "Given the apparent negative correlation between smoking and
>> radon levels, I wonder
>> whether it is low radon levels that cause people to smoke, or does 
>> smoking
>> somehow
>> cause lower radon levels? "
>>
>> I think it is likely that smoking causes lower radon levels, because
> smokers
>> would open a window to let some fresh air in.
>>
>> We have to remember that residential radon levels are, in part, 
>> determined
>> by the residents' lifestyle. So, one could also expect that being sick
>> increases radon levels. (Sick people might not lead as active lives and
>> doors will stay closed.)
>>
>> Since residential radon levels are related to ventilation, one would also
>> expect that they correlate positively with mould and other indoor
>> pollutants.
>>
>> In the ecological studies, these factors probably largely cancel out and
> the
>> average county radon levels are more related to the radon source term.
> Case
>> control studies would be very susceptible to the influence of these other
>> factors, unless these are specifically controlled.
>>
>> Kai
>>
>
>