Blue Concrete Gamma Meter

[goosen]

Hello,

I have bought a house where I suspect the interior walls in the basement are made of blue concrete. I have a clause in the contract and am currently conducting a short-term radon measurement. I want to be sure if it's blue concrete or not. I have a contact with a gamma meter but cannot take it to the house, so I'm thinking of taking a "sample piece" of the concrete to see if it shows any results. Does anyone have experience with this? Is it possible to do this, and if so, how large a piece is needed?

 

[Isakare]

Just show a piece to someone who knows what blåbetong looks like.
Or you can go to a hardware store and ask to see a piece of sirorex and compare it with your own piece. If it's similar in design but blue-grey, it's blåbetong.

 

[ylven]

Hi,

I bought a house where I suspect that the interior walls in the basement are made of blåbetong. I have a clause in the contract and am currently conducting a short-term radon measurement. I want to know for certain if it is blåbetong or not. I have a contact with a gamma meter but can't take it to the house, so I'm thinking of taking a "sample piece" of the concrete to see if it shows any readings. Anyone with experience in this? Is it possible to do that and if so, how large a piece do you need?

I had an interior wall in the basement made of blåbetong. It was discovered when I inspected the house before purchase using a gamma meter. Hire someone who has a portable one, as there is a significant difference in uranium content in different types of lightweight concrete.

 

[goosen]

Just show a piece to someone who knows what blåbetong looks like.
Or go to a building supply store and ask to see a piece of sirorex and compare it with your own piece. If it's similar in texture but blue-gray, it's blåbetong.

Yes, but there are different types of blåbetong. I want to know if it is high or low-radiation blåbetong.
Hence the question of whether you can measure it on a small piece or if the meter has to be on site?

 

[goosen]

I had an interior wall in the basement made of blåbetong. It was discovered when I inspected the house before purchase with a gamma meter. Hire someone who has a portable one, as there is a big difference in uranium content in different types of lightweight concrete.

I've spoken to some companies and they charge a hefty fee to come out (10k+).

 

[ylven]

Then you can buy one instead:
https://cdon.se/bygg-verktyg/karnst...nare-testare-for-rontgenavkanning-p-128645782

 

[hempularen]

There are quite affordable gamma meters on amzon.se. You might not trust the absolute value from a cheap instrument, but it should give an indication. And cheaper than hiring a measurement consultant.

Just because it looks like blåbetong, and is blåbetong, doesn't mean there is a high radiation level. The raw material for blåbetong came from several different places with significantly varying uranium levels.

I have no idea if there's any point in measuring a small piece. I can imagine if the measurement indicates gamma radiation from a small piece, you can rely on it. But if it doesn't indicate, it doesn't say anything.

 

[Huvudbrytaren]

A portable Geiger-Muller meter can be purchased on, for example, Ebay for reasonable money. Even if it is not calibrated, etc., you can make estimates of relative radiation levels in various materials

Example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/281259657729?epid=1658126926&hash=item417c61ca01:g:aRYAAOxygPtS8JWP&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAA4ALl3PG432gk3ENxdF27W8N3cOCvhrG0MKFN59tGYwbvZ2zSBDRRdmA4zZwvTxuw2HvN9Zjxo8iKwx4W3pJjFc6aZIrQfzSukOPa2aXCZOe+UqKlHnniTx3u11uRamxTCPMwiohY+3Ba+dva2/5mA5GoDHiilmRjD0aglOOHqJwUfkjkWUHV00yHN6Ofig9jR0ZSdKotvZnOZRzcXygswPed/tASdzITaQO1SEUA9zCyLj+vhn8HyBJ+Vx0o9Vs4UAvY5IoMnvax8piD5pnBRVEII8T5lML+S9wseZH9qn6p|tkp:BFBMxsKX9KJj

 

[goosen]

There are quite cheap gamma meters on amzon.se. You probably shouldn't trust the absolute value from a cheap instrument, but it should give an indication. And it's cheaper than bringing in a measurement consultant.

Just because it looks like blåbetong and is blåbetong does not mean it has a high radiation level. The raw material for blåbetong came from several different places with greatly varying uranium content.

I have no idea if it's worth measuring a small piece. I can imagine that if the measurement indicates gamma radiation from a small piece, then you can trust it. But if it doesn't indicate anything, it doesn't say anything.

Thank you for all the answers. I'm a bit hesitant to buy a cheaper version if you can really trust it. I'll simply wait for the measurement and then investigate the walls if there are high values.

 

[ylven]

Thanks for all the answers. I'm a bit hesitant to buy a cheaper variant if you can really trust it. I will simply have to wait for the measurement and then inspect the walls if there are high values.

If you are not going to have residential rooms in the basement next to this wall, then the issues with the wall are irrelevant when viewed in risk measurement for those living in the house.

 

[stenna]

10000+ sounds like a lot, I had a radon technician from OCAB here who measured with both a radon sniffer and a gamma meter, it cost a little over 5000.

 

[hempularen]

If you do not plan to have living spaces in the basement next to this wall, the issues with the wall are irrelevant if you look at it in terms of risk assessment for those living in the house.

This does not apply to the "danger" of gamma radiation from the wall. Rather, it concerns whether the wall emits radon. One can assess whether it is blue concrete emitting radon or not, through a quick measurement of the gamma radiation level from the wall.

Gamma radiation at the levels in question is completely harmless. But the radon produced simultaneously with the gamma radiation is potentially dangerous.

 

[ylven]

It is not about the "danger" of gamma radiation from the wall. It's about whether the wall emits radon. One can assess if it is blåbetong emitting radon or not, through a quick measurement of the gamma radiation level from the wall.

Gamma radiation at the levels in question is entirely harmless. But the radon that is created along with the gamma radiation is potentially dangerous.

At the same time, radon is relatively manageable through ventilation and radon is essentially only dangerous if you are also a smoker.

What I'm saying is that one shouldn't scare oneself over an insignificant problem.

 

[Cerb]

Are there no previous radon measurements done in the residence that you can look at?

(Because I guess that's what you're actually interested in)

 

[goosen]

No, there are no historical measurements. I'm not particularly worried about blåbetong myself, but it's undeniable that a house with blåbetong deters some future bidders, even if it is completely harmless. Thanks for the tip about OCAB. I'll check with them if needed.