Radon permeability of insulating building materials

Abstract

Abstract The aim of the study was to determine the radon permeability coefficient of insulating building materials. Eleven insulating materials were tested. A research setup was developed and it was as follows: a tested material was tightly set on the receiver box’s hole and placed into the radon chamber. The measurements showed that for various insulating materials, radon permeability coefficient varies from 1.26 × 10−10 m2/s for film-like materials to 9.95 × 10−8 m2/s for roofing papers. According to our calculations of all insulating materials, the foil-type insulating materials to ensure the best protection against radon flow from the ground. Comparison of different types of building materials shows that the insulating building materials ensure better radiological protection than regular building constructions materials.