Speaker
Description
In countries where buildings are normally protected against soil moisture or underground water by continuous waterproofing, the waterproof course also provides basic protection against radon from the subsoil. There is currently no European or international standard that specifies how to design waterproof membranes as radon barriers. An overview of the requirements for radon barriers as they are applied in individual states is presented. In general, procedures are available prescribing either the maximum value of the radon diffusion coefficient, or the minimum thickness of the membrane, or the minimum value of the radon resistance. The applicability and reliability of all the design procedures is discussed in detail.
Current situation, when each individual state applies different requirements for the properties of radon barriers, is dysfunctional. It is especially a complication for manufacturers of waterproof products, which are mostly multinational companies, because they must demonstrate compliance with national requirements in each state individually. Therefore, a proposal for a unified approach is introduced. Unification is based on radon resistance because it is the only parameter that expresses the true barrier capability of a waterproof product. Radon resistance takes into account both the radon diffusion coefficient and the thickness of the product. The greater the radon resistance, the better the barrier capability of the given product. Individual European states should therefore incorporate the requirement for a minimum radon resistance value, which every waterproof product must meet, into their legislative or standard requirements for radon barriers. Possibilities of how to determine the minimum value of radon resistance with regard to national specifics such as building parameters, radon potential of foundation soils, etc. will be introduced.