Building design, resident's behavior, and indoor radon in the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Authors
Mansour, Osama E.
Haddad, Bashar
Advisors
Issue Date
2021-06
Type
Article
Keywords
Air quality , Indoor air quality , Ventilation , Radon level , Houses , Environmental protection
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Citation
Mansour, O. E., & Haddad, B. (2021). Building design, resident's behavior, and indoor radon in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Journal of Management & Engineering Integration, 14(1), 105-118. https://doi.org/10.62704/10057/24773
Abstract

This research aims to identify the impact of foundation type on average indoor radon levels in houses in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It compares the averages of indoor Radon in 4 houses in Warren County, Kentucky, an area classified as zone 1 by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The predicted averages of indoor Radon greater than four pCi/L. The four houses are wood-frame structures; two of them are built on slabs-on-grade, the other two are raised on crawl spaces. A questionnaire was used to gather data about the occupant's behavior towards the indoor air quality in their houses during the test period. A T-test was performed to analyze the radon readings. The data analysis shows a significant difference in indoor Radon between houses of different foundation types. Unlike the previous studies, the houses built on slabs-ongrade show significantly lower averages of indoor Radon than those built on crawlspaces. Also, the results confirm earlier studies regarding the impact of the user's behavior on indoor air quality. Natural ventilation can significantly reduce the averages of indoor Radon. A limitation of this study is that it was carried out in only four houses. More surveys of indoor Radon in buildings with different foundation types are required for results to be generalizable.

Table of Contents
Description
Published in SOAR: Shocker Open Access Repository by Wichita State University Libraries Technical Services, December 2022.
Publisher
Association for Industry, Engineering and Management Systems (AIEMS)
Journal
Book Title
Series
Journal of Management & Engineering Integration
v.14 no.1
PubMed ID
ISSN
1939-7984
EISSN