Can someone help me 'interpret' the technical description of our house?
Foundation Method
Concrete slabs 25x50cm (and some other stuff about reinforcements and such...) Bl 225 kg/m3 concrete.
Outer Foundation Walls
25 cm concrete hollow blocks 9-11 hollow rows.
Inner Foundation Walls
Load-bearing walls of 20 cm concrete hollow blocks. Other interior walls of 10 cm concrete blocks.
The house is a single-story house with a basement, built in 1960. I've started worrying that we might have radon in the house, and right now we're doing a radon measurement. But can anything be derived from the above information?
Foundation Method
Concrete slabs 25x50cm (and some other stuff about reinforcements and such...) Bl 225 kg/m3 concrete.
Outer Foundation Walls
25 cm concrete hollow blocks 9-11 hollow rows.
Inner Foundation Walls
Load-bearing walls of 20 cm concrete hollow blocks. Other interior walls of 10 cm concrete blocks.
The house is a single-story house with a basement, built in 1960. I've started worrying that we might have radon in the house, and right now we're doing a radon measurement. But can anything be derived from the above information?
Unfortunately, nothing can be deduced from your information. However, it is likely that any radon comes from blåbetong, which is indeed blue. You mention concrete hollow blocks, which are usually free from radon. Blåbetong looks somewhat like blue-gray siporex.
Blue concrete is a type of lightweight concrete - but none of the materials you list are lightweight concrete. So you can be at ease regarding these materials specifically. Radon can of course come from completely different sources as well, bedrock being a common cause.
In a 1960s house with a basement, you should probably expect some ground radon, regardless of whether there is blue lightweight concrete or not. So don't stress if the measurement shows around 100-200Bq, that's fairly good considering the type of dwelling. If the measurement shows more than 200Bq, you may want to consider measures; if the radon comes from the ground, it is usually quite simple and not insanely expensive to address.
If you want to check if there are radon-emitting building materials, you should borrow/rent a Geiger meter as that's the only sure way to check. Some municipalities lend out such devices, so you can inquire there.
If you want to check if there are radon-emitting building materials, you should borrow/rent a Geiger meter as that's the only sure way to check. Some municipalities lend out such devices, so you can inquire there.
agree with humulus, try to measure the gamma radiation. I hired a company in Haninge, Stockholm before a purchase this spring, he measured all the interior walls and concrete floors, but the gamma radiation was very low, my house is built with the same material as yours.