The purpose of this study was to verify the radon reduction effectiveness of some radon barrier paints using the laboratory test on radon exhalation rate. The radon exhalation characteristics and radon exhalation rate of three radon barrier paints for concrete and three radon barrier paints for stone finishes were evaluated before and after application. Then the radon reduction rate was calculated to confirm the reduction effects. The results showed that the radon reduction rate of radon barrier paint was less than 10%, which is not effective in reducing radon. These findings suggest that a reliable radon reduction evaluation method is needed to utilize radon barrier paints as an indoor radon control measures.

The objective of this study is to investigate indoor radon concentrations and identify influencing factors for one of the representative house type in South Korea. We surveyed 3,000 detached houses using alpha track (raduet) between November 2013 and March 2014. The Arithmetic mean radon concentration of the houses studied was 147.9 Bq/m3 (GM=106.4 Bq/m3), and the range was 11.8 to 1,936.6 Bq/m3. The Arithmetic mean radon concentration in living rooms was 134.2 Bq/m3 (GM=98.8 Bq/m3), much higher value compar with the Arithmetic mean radon concentration in bedrooms (153.0 Bq/m3). The year of constructon, basement status, ventilation frequency and heating period in a house were identified as major factors influencing indoor radon concentrations. The indoor radon concentrations in houses that were constructed prior to 1990 and that had basements were higher than those in the comparison groups. On the other hand, houses that were frequently ventilated and had a short heating period showed a tendency toward lower indoor radon concentration.