I assume you have already checked if a radon measurement has been done. The city planning office is aware of it.
Personally, I would not buy it. Partly to avoid any potential worries, but more for purely economic reasons.
Thresholds for radon are continuously being lowered, and the tolerance for radon among home buyers is also decreasing. This means that when you eventually sell the house, the aerated concrete will be a bigger burden on the price than it is today. If you buy the house today, you get a "radon discount," meaning the house would be more expensive if it weren't for the aerated concrete. That discount is likely to increase in the future.
Thresholds for radon are continuously being lowered, and the tolerance for radon among home buyers is also decreasing. This means that when you eventually sell the house, the aerated concrete will be a bigger burden on the price than it is today. If you buy the house today, you get a "radon discount," meaning the house would be more expensive if it weren't for the aerated concrete. That discount is likely to increase in the future.
Hello, my first post here on the forum.
I live in a house partially built with blåbetong, so I have tried to gain some knowledge on the subject.
Generally speaking, ground radon is a much bigger problem when it comes to radon in indoor air; ground radon can also cause much higher radon levels than radon from building materials.
In a house made of blåbetong, it is most likely that a radon measurement has been done; I don't think this is the case with all other houses in the country.
My previous house (wooden house) could very well have had many times higher radon levels than the current blåbetong house.
Before we bought that plot, I checked with the municipality if it was in a high-risk area, and it wasn't. Thus, I was satisfied and didn't think more about radon until we became interested in the current house.
Now afterward, I've understood that there can be very large local variations in the occurrence of ground radon.
My conclusion is that ALL houses should be tested for radon before deciding on a purchase.
To think that you don't need to worry about radon just because there is no blåbetong in the house is to bury your head in the sand.
I live in a house partially built with blåbetong, so I have tried to gain some knowledge on the subject.
Generally speaking, ground radon is a much bigger problem when it comes to radon in indoor air; ground radon can also cause much higher radon levels than radon from building materials.
In a house made of blåbetong, it is most likely that a radon measurement has been done; I don't think this is the case with all other houses in the country.
My previous house (wooden house) could very well have had many times higher radon levels than the current blåbetong house.
Before we bought that plot, I checked with the municipality if it was in a high-risk area, and it wasn't. Thus, I was satisfied and didn't think more about radon until we became interested in the current house.
Now afterward, I've understood that there can be very large local variations in the occurrence of ground radon.
My conclusion is that ALL houses should be tested for radon before deciding on a purchase.
To think that you don't need to worry about radon just because there is no blåbetong in the house is to bury your head in the sand.
I believe that radon measurement will soon become a requirement before selling, so if you're considering not only this but also the resale value, it might be wise to conduct a measurement beforehand. However, at the same time, a proper measurement takes about 3 months to complete, and you don't have that kind of time when a contract is signed the same day as the viewing.
Bought a house built with blåbetong last year. We tested for radon before purchasing and it turned out to be 120bq. At that time, no one lived in the house, so doors and windows were always closed. We haven't measured since we moved in, but according to a guy at the building office, the levels should have dropped significantly just because there is movement in the house, doors are opened, and it is aired out. Buying a house at all is a big deal, so I don't understand people who don't test for radon whether the house is built with blåbetong or not. Building materials with radon are usually never a major problem. However, ground radon is.
I have talked to many "experts" about short-term measurement (about one to two weeks) of radon, and most say the same thing: "it's easy to lower the value during a radon measurement, it just takes a window to be slightly open or the kitchen fan to be on for the value to drop significantly."
So those of you who want to measure radon, make sure it is measured over a longer period and under the right conditions. And don't blindly trust the results that a short-term measurement provides. You don't want to buy a pig in a poke.
So those of you who want to measure radon, make sure it is measured over a longer period and under the right conditions. And don't blindly trust the results that a short-term measurement provides. You don't want to buy a pig in a poke.
Hello!
I have owned a radon house. Both blue concrete and ground radon (shale rock, Skaraborg).
At purchase, the level was at the threshold value of 380bq (limit 400).
The house was equipped with a mechanical supply/exhaust system, an old Swedish fan RDAA. It was running at full capacity.
I saw records of the values before the fan unit was installed. It was as high as 10,000!!!
Several houses in the area have/had incredible values.
I did a few simple things and significantly reduced the levels and lowered energy consumption.
1. Adjusted the air exchange to 0.5 of the living volume. There was MUCH more exchange before. Due to the large exchange, there was too much negative pressure in the house.
2. Installed a radon vent in the slab. A new measurement showed 180bq with point 1 above addressed.
3. Checked around penetrations in the slab and at a manhole for a cleaning port (located down in a pit), there was just a gravel bed underneath. This acts as a chimney with negative pressure in the house, literally sucking up radon. Sealed the hatch and connected ducting to the radon vent. A new measurement showed 60bq (split-level house, and in fact, it was 40 in the split-level floor and 80 in the upper floor), so this was the remedy for this house.
Ground radon is much harder to deal with than "just" blue concrete.
-blue concrete = ventilate.
-ground radon = various solutions depending on the area, house type, etc. It can be drilling a well outside the house and venting there. It can be suction points under the house slab (multiple points are best), or it can be venting in the drainage pipes, etc.
Conclusion, check what kind of area it is with the municipality.
If it's a radon area, even wooden houses with crawl spaces have radon.
I have owned a radon house. Both blue concrete and ground radon (shale rock, Skaraborg).
At purchase, the level was at the threshold value of 380bq (limit 400).
The house was equipped with a mechanical supply/exhaust system, an old Swedish fan RDAA. It was running at full capacity.
I saw records of the values before the fan unit was installed. It was as high as 10,000!!!
Several houses in the area have/had incredible values.
I did a few simple things and significantly reduced the levels and lowered energy consumption.
1. Adjusted the air exchange to 0.5 of the living volume. There was MUCH more exchange before. Due to the large exchange, there was too much negative pressure in the house.
2. Installed a radon vent in the slab. A new measurement showed 180bq with point 1 above addressed.
3. Checked around penetrations in the slab and at a manhole for a cleaning port (located down in a pit), there was just a gravel bed underneath. This acts as a chimney with negative pressure in the house, literally sucking up radon. Sealed the hatch and connected ducting to the radon vent. A new measurement showed 60bq (split-level house, and in fact, it was 40 in the split-level floor and 80 in the upper floor), so this was the remedy for this house.
Ground radon is much harder to deal with than "just" blue concrete.
-blue concrete = ventilate.
-ground radon = various solutions depending on the area, house type, etc. It can be drilling a well outside the house and venting there. It can be suction points under the house slab (multiple points are best), or it can be venting in the drainage pipes, etc.
Conclusion, check what kind of area it is with the municipality.
If it's a radon area, even wooden houses with crawl spaces have radon.
A tip is to read the following from SSI:
http://www.ssi.se/radon/pdf/RadonCancer2art_snytt.pdf
In this writing, it states, among other things:
"The risk for a 75-year-old who has never smoked to develop lung cancer is at 0, 100, and 400 Bq/m³ 0.4, 0.5, and 0.7 percent, respectively. If the 75-year-old were a smoker, the initial risk is 10 percent and then 12 and 16 percent at the mentioned radon levels. This means that smokers have about 25 times higher risk of developing lung cancer from radon than never-smokers."
This means that you have about a 0.1% greater risk in the radon house if you have about 300Bq.
It also states in the writing regarding non-smokers:
"The group of cases that were exposed to secondhand smoke at home seemed to account for the entire risk increase, while those who were not exposed to secondhand smoke did not show any risk increase with increasing radon concentration. However, these observations need to be confirmed in other studies."
If you are a non-smoker and also not exposed to smoke, current research indicates a very low to nonexistent risk. It might be more important to think about the children's school route, etc. However, the market value of the house is probably lower, but on the other hand, you can make that up when you buy yourself.
/Radon house owner for a year
Will, however, measure and possibly install an FTX this winter (just in case)
http://www.ssi.se/radon/pdf/RadonCancer2art_snytt.pdf
In this writing, it states, among other things:
"The risk for a 75-year-old who has never smoked to develop lung cancer is at 0, 100, and 400 Bq/m³ 0.4, 0.5, and 0.7 percent, respectively. If the 75-year-old were a smoker, the initial risk is 10 percent and then 12 and 16 percent at the mentioned radon levels. This means that smokers have about 25 times higher risk of developing lung cancer from radon than never-smokers."
This means that you have about a 0.1% greater risk in the radon house if you have about 300Bq.
It also states in the writing regarding non-smokers:
"The group of cases that were exposed to secondhand smoke at home seemed to account for the entire risk increase, while those who were not exposed to secondhand smoke did not show any risk increase with increasing radon concentration. However, these observations need to be confirmed in other studies."
If you are a non-smoker and also not exposed to smoke, current research indicates a very low to nonexistent risk. It might be more important to think about the children's school route, etc. However, the market value of the house is probably lower, but on the other hand, you can make that up when you buy yourself.
/Radon house owner for a year
Will, however, measure and possibly install an FTX this winter (just in case)