United States
               Environmental Protection
               Agency	
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
               Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-96/045    August 1996
EPA      Project  Summary

               Site-Specific  Protocol for
               Measuring  Soil  Radon
               Potentials  for  Florida  Houses
               Kirk K. Nielson, Vern C. Rogers, and Rodger B. Holt
                 The full report describes a protocol
               for site-specific measurement of radon
               potentials for Florida houses that is
               consistent with existing residential ra-
               don protection  maps. The  protocol
               gives further guidance on the possible
               need for radon-protective house con-
               struction features.  In applying the test
               results, the user should also consider
               the  relative costs  of using  conserva-
               tive radon controls and the EPA guid-
               ance on further reducing radon levels
               even in the range below 4 pCi L~1.
                 The  measurements  included  in the
               protocol were selected from sensitivity
               analyses of radon  entry into the same
               reference house as was used to de-
               velop the radon protection maps. The
               sensitivity analyses also used the same
               RAdon Emanation  and TRAnsport into
               Dwellings (RAETRAD) model, provid-
               ing a common basis to that of the maps.
               The sensitivity analyses identified ra-
               dium concentration, soil layer depth,
               soil density, soil texture, and water table
               depth as the independent parameters
               dominating indoor  radon. Radium con-
               centration and water table depth were
               most important. Soils up to 2.4 m deep
               contributed to indoor radon in uniform-
               radium scenarios, and soil layers about
               0.6 m thick significantly affected radon
               in cases of nonuniform radium distri-
               butions.
                 A conservative upper limit for radon
               potentials was defined as the 95% con-
               fidence limit for radon in the reference
               house, corresponding to the radon pro-
               tection  map definition. The number of
               samples needed to  represent a site was
               determined from equivalent regional
               map precisions to  be 20 samples per
               4,000 m2 (1 acre). The samples are taken
 at four depth increments extending to
 2.4 m.  Equivalent  precisions  for a
 smaller parcel of land can use fewer
 total samples.
  The  site-specific  protocol  involves
 drilling five boreholes in each 4,000 m2
 parcel of land. Twenty soil samples ob-
 tained  from the  borings are  used for
 radium measurements. The soil borings
 are also used for density and textural
 estimates unless default values are cho-
 sen. A soil radon measurement detects
 the potential presence of anomalous
 elevated-radium materials at depth. The
 site water table depths are defined from
 soil survey data or  site observations.
 The  site measurements  are  analyzed
 by a special-purpose  computer code
 called  RAETRAD-F  to determine the
 upper limit for indoor radon concentra-
 tions in the reference house. Using the
 same category definitions  as for the
 residential radon protection map, the
 RAETRAD-F code determines whether
 the site is in the low, intermediate, or
 elevated map category for  radon pro-
 tection purposes.
   This Project  Summary was devel-
 oped by EPA's National Risk Manage-
 ment Research Laboratory's Air Pollu-
 tion  Prevention and Control Division,
 Research  Triangle  Park, NC, to an-
 nounce key  findings of the  research
 project that is fully documented in a
 separate report of the same  title (see
 Project Report ordering information at
 back).

 Introduction
  The Florida Department of Community
 Affairs (DCA)  has developed  prescriptive
 building standards to reduce radon-related
 health risks. The  standards require pas-

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sive radon barriers and  active sub-slab
ventilation to reduce radon entry from soils
that can cause elevated radon  levels. Re-
gions requiring  these  radon controls are
identified  by radon  protection  maps  that
show where soils require no special con-
trols,  passive radon controls,  or passive
and active radon controls.  Despite the con-
venience and low cost of  using the maps,
it is sometimes  desirable  to directly mea-
sure the  radon  potential category of a
site. Although not generally required, site-
specific analyses can give valuable guid-
ance  on alternative planning  or anoma-
lous site conditions. Alternative planning
decisions  should also  consider the rela-
tive costs of using conservative  radon con-
trols versus testing, as well as the EPA
guidance on further reducing radon levels
even in the range below 4 pCi  L~1.
  The full  report builds on  a previous study
of methods for measuring site-specific ra-
don potentials as a consistent  alternative
to the radon protection map. It examines
more  closely the fundamental parameters
controlling  radon potential  and identifies
from model simulations the minimum mea-
surements to characterize  radon  poten-
tial. The measurement requirements are
used to define a field sampling and mea-
surement  protocol for characterizing  site
radon potentials with the appropriate level
of sampling and replication. The measure-
ments are analyzed  by  the  RAETRAD
model to  find a reference-house  radon
potential that is  consistent with the resi-
dential radon protection map.

Model Simulations
  Model simulations of radon  generation
and movement from soils into houses were
used  to estimate the  dependence of in-
door radon levels on different site param-
eters. The simulations focused on long-
term average values to avoid the tempo-
ral radon fluctuations from varying soil and
house conditions. Radon  potentials  for
open land  used the same  reference house
and approach as the soil radon potential
maps to remove house variables from the
definition  of radon  potential.  The hypo-
thetical  reference  house was  simulated
on the individual soil profiles that occur in
different regions, with  radon  generation
and movement from the soils into the ref-
erence house. This approach determines
the  geographic soil contributions to indoor
radon without the complicating effects  of
individual  house properties.
  The radon simulations also used  soil
and geology definitions that were  consis-
tent with the prior radon map analyses.
For example, soil radium distributions were
defined to  be uniform throughout the strata
in  an upper layer about 2.5  m thick,  and
they were also defined to  be uniform
throughout a  lower,  geology-dominated
zone that was  also about 2.5 m thick.  Soil
water distributions throughout both zones
were determined from drainage properties
and water table depths.
  The RAETRAD model was used to simu-
late radon generation and transport from
the soil  profiles into the  reference house.
RAETRAD is  a steady-state, numerical-
analytical  computer code  that  simulates
(a) radon generation  and decay in  soil
regions  around a house  and  in the house
understructure (e.g.,  floor slab,  footings);
(b) diffusive and pressure-driven advec-
tive movement of radon  through the soils
and the house understructure; and (c) ra-
don  accumulation in a  single-chamber
house.  RAETRAD's  multiphase radon
source and transport  equations explicitly
represent the solid soil particles, pore wa-
ter, and air-filled pore  space.
  The reference house corresponds to the
one  used previously  for radon potential
maps, giving the site-specific analyses a
common basis for estimating  equivalent
radon potentials. The house is  a 143-m2
(1,540-ft2) rectangular,  slab-on-grade struc-
ture with the approximate characteristics
of Florida  single-family  dwellings.   The
dominant  characteristics affecting indoor
radon include the indoor air pressure, the
indoor-outdoor air exchange  rate, and the
type and quality of foundation design  and
construction. The  house has a floating-
slab floor design, causing  a shrinkage
crack about 0.5 cm wide at  the slab pe-
rimeter.  Other  properties of the house are
listed in Table  1.
  Surface and deep soils were defined for
sensitivity analyses to have a sandy  tex-
ture, a density of 1.6 g cnr3, and a poros-
ity of 0.407. Soil air permeability and ra-
don diffusion coefficients were defined by
RAETRAD from porosity,  water content,
and mean particle diameters using empiri-
cal correlations.  Soil water contents were
defined  by the distance of  each 30-cm
soil layer above a 5.2-m deep water table.
Soil radon  emanation fractions  were de-
fined from an empirical trend with radium
concentrations for consistency with previ-
ous radon map calculations.

Radon Sensitivity Analyses
  Sensitivity analyses with the RAETRAD
model determined  which site parameters
strongly affect  radon potentials and which
have  smaller  influences. Five  main  pa-
rameters  were  analyzed: soil texture,
depth,  radium, density,  and water table
depth. The depth parameter was applied
only to  radium distributions  since  water
contents and their dependent parameters
already varied with  depth from the water
table. For consistency with previous analy-
ses,  surface and geologic soil zones com-
prised the depth parameters for the radon
simulations. Soil gas radon was also ana-
lyzed as a  possible surrogate for deep-
soil radium concentration to detect poten-
tial high-radium anomalies  beneath the
sampling depth range.
  Sensitivity analyses determined the net
radon concentration in the reference house
while individually varying each of the five
independent parameters.  Analyses  first
were performed in  which  the entire soil
column  consisted of one  of the  12  Soil
Conservation Service (SCS) textural clas-
sifications.  The resulting changes  in cal-
culated  moistures,  diffusion coefficients,
and  permeabilities caused decreased ra-
don  concentrations for  the  fine-textured
soils, as shown in Figure 1.
  A semi-quantitative approach helped in-
terpret the  sensitivity analyses. The rela-
tive sensitivity of each parameter was es-
timated  from a log-log  plot of radon ver-
sus  the  parameter  of  interest.  Although
the textural classifications had  no direct
numeric scale for such  a plot, they were
assigned integer values for comparison
purposes, starting at 1  for sand  and  in-
creasing to  12 for silt. The slopes of the
lines on the plot, near the parameter value
of interest,  correspond to the power-curve
(y =  axb) dependence of each parameter.
This  approach helped  rank the  relative
importance  of  each parameter  for site-
specific  measurements. Figure 2 compares
the sensitivity of soil texture with that of
the other parameters.
  The sensitivity to surface soil  emanat-
ing radium  concentrations was  found to
be highest, with a power-curve exponent
of b = 0.81  at Ra-E = 1  pCi  g-1 of emanat-
ing radium. As  shown  in  Figure 2,  this
sensitivity increases at higher radium con-
centrations, approaching b = 1.0 and po-
tentially raising indoor radon levels above
20 pCi L1 as the emanating radium con-
centration approaches 5 pCi g-1.  The sen-
sitivity of the deeper, geologic soil radium
level  is  smaller, with an exponent of b =
0.13  at Ra-E  = 1 pCi  g~1  of emanating
radium.  Its  sensitivity also  increases at
higher radium concentrations but remains
lower than  that for surface  soils  because
of the  decreasing  sensitivity of radon
sources that are farther from the house
foundation.
  The sensitivity to soil  density is moder-
ate at the low-density end  of the curve in
Figure 2, but  it diminishes  at higher soil
densities. The strong dependence at low
densities is dominated  by  the emanation

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         Table 1. Reference House Parameters Used in Radon Entry Simulations
Parameter
Footprint dimensions
Interior volume
External ventilation
Floor crack width
Floor crack location
Fill soil thickness
Indoor air pressure
Value
8.6 x 16.5 m
350 m3
0.25 tr1
0.5 cm
Slab perimeter
30 cm
-2.4 Pa
Parameter
Slab water/cement ratio
Floor slab thickness
Floor slab porosity
Slab 226Ra emanation
Exterior footing depth
Slab air permeability
Slab Rn diffusion
Value
0.55
10 cm
0.22
0.07 pdg-1
61 cm
1x10-" cm2
8x1 0-4 cm2 s-'
           o
           Q.
           c
           g
           "ro
           o
           O
           c
           o
           T3
           ro
           or
           o
           o
           T3
                      ^    ^
                    of   &
                 Water Table: 5.2m
                 Soil Radium: 1.8 pCi/g (E = 0.47)
                 Soil Density: 1.6 g/cm3
            ^    ^     
-------
               100
o


g
^4-*
(0
              o
             O
              c
              o
             T3
              (0
              _
              O
              O
             T3
                 10
                0.1
                           Surface Soil
                             Radium:
                             b=0.81
                          at RaE=1pCi/g
                            Geologic Soil
                               Radium:
                               b=0.13
                            at RaE=1pCi/g
                                 Density:
                                  b=0.35
                                    at
                                1.6 g/cm3
                   0.1                   1


   Figure 2.  Comparison of parameter sensitivities.
                                                 10

                                             Parameter
100
                                                             1000
coefficient both showed a square-root de-
pendence (b = 0.5).

Mathematical Definition of Site-
Specific Radon Potential
  The radon  potential for a  residential
building site is defined mathematically as
it was for the residential radon protection
map.  It is the calculated radon concentra-
tion in the reference house that would not
be exceeded  if the house were placed on
at least 95%  of the land  areas in a geo-
graphic region (map polygon). Stated more
simply, it is the 95% confidence limit of
radon concentration  for  the reference
house. Although site measurements give
a more  representative estimate of radon
in the reference house, site variations and
measurement uncertainties define a distri-
bution of possible radon concentrations.
This distribution  is defined to be log-nor-
mal, consistent with the mapped distribu-
tions, and is  used to estimate the 95%
confidence limit  for radon that is consis-
tent with  the maps.
                               The equation for site-specific radon po-
                             tential is defined from site-specific values
                             of the  log-normal  radon distribution pa-
                             rameters. An annual-average radon con-
                             centration  is first calculated for the refer-
                             ence house from seasonal values using
                             the RAETRAD algorithm with the geomet-
                             ric means  of the measured site  param-
                             eters. A geometric  standard deviation
                             (GSD) is then calculated to represent the
                             indoor radon variability associated with the
                             distributions of the site-specific parameters.
                             The radon  concentration in the reference
                             house at the 95% confidence limit is fi-
                             nally calculated from the estimated geo-
                             metric  mean and  GSD to estimate the
                             site-specific radon potential as:
                                                                (1)
where  C95    =  site-specific radon poten-
                tial, at 95% confidence
                limit, for residences
                (pCi L1)
        C     =  net radon concentration
         gm
                 calculated for the refer-
                 ence house from geomet-
                 ric means of the site
                 parameters (pCi L1)

        G     =  GSD of the indoor radon
                 distribution  (dimension-
                 less)

        1.645 =  inverse of the normal
                 distribution  integral at
                 95% (standard  devia-
                 tions).
    The GSD of the  indoor radon distribu-
 tion is estimated from a sensitivity-weighted
 sum of the variances of the individual pa-
 rameters that contribute to the total uncer-
 tainty in the indoor radon calculation. Since
 the distributions are log-normal,  the com-
 ponent uncertainties are GSDs, which re-
 quire log-transformation for the usual qua-
 dratic addition of uncertainties, giving:
                                                                        G = exp
                                                                                                                       (2)

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where  g.  =  GSD of parameter i
       b:  =  power-curve dependence of
             indoor radon on parameter
             i.
  The b: weighting factors give the correct
weighting to the GSD of each parameter
in  proportion  to  the influence of the pa-
rameter on indoor radon concentrations.
  The  main  parameters  contributing  to
uncertainty in Equations 1 and 2 are the
soil radium concentrations, the water table
depths,  and the soil density and texture.
Soil air  permeability  and  radon diffusion
coefficient also have  inherent  uncertain-
ties. Since the uncertainties from density,
permeability,  and diffusion vary  less with
site properties, they are  represented in
Equation 2 by  a constant,  composed of
respective contributions of  0.001, 0.173,
and 0.120.
  The dependence on soil  radium  is ap-
proximately linear (bt = 0.8 in Figure 2, but
approaches unity at higher radium levels),
and it is given a linear dependence (b:  =
1) for use in  Equation 2.  Similarly,  the
GSD for water table variations is assigned
3^=1  sensitivity, which corresponds to
water table depths slightly shallower than
1 m. Equations 1 and 2 can be written in
a combined form with these  numerical val-
ues as:
                           +[ln(gwt)]2}


                                   (3)
where   0.294 = combined variance from
                permeability, diffusion,
                and density (dimension-
                less)
        gRa   = GSD of site radium con-
                centrations (dimension-
                less)
        gwt    = GSD of indoor radon
                from varying site water
                table depths (dimension-
                less).

  The  minimum  number of soil samples
needed to characterize a site  is  domi-
nated by the soil radium distributions, since
the other parameters have more predict-
able variations.  The  number of soil
samples must be sufficient  to characterize
both the geometric mean and the GSD of
the soil radium distribution. The number
must also be adequate to limit the uncer-
tainty in the GSD  to  a value consistent
with the radium variability associated with
the radon  protection map.
  Soil radium concentrations in Florida are
distributed log-normally, so their logarithms
are normally distributed, and the standard
deviations of their logarithms follow a  chi-
squared distribution. The minimum num-
ber of samples required to  determine a
geometric mean with  a given degree of
precision depends on the  upper limit of
the GSD. The required number  of  soil
samples therefore can be expressed as a
fractional uncertainty that represents  the
interval between the upper limit and  the
best estimate (geometric mean)  as:
where  n
         n-i
        F'"
                                   (4)
             = number of samples
             = chi-squared value for n-1
               degrees of freedom and
               for (1-p) confidence
             = probability of exceeding
               a given chi-squared value
             = fractional uncertainty
               required (consistent with
               radon protection map).
Solving Equation 4 for n gives:

      « = ! + (! +n)2 **_„_„       (5)

which must be solved iteratively because
the XP,n-\ values also depend on n. For a
4,000-m2 (1-acre) area, statewide radium
concentrations had typical uncertainties in
the 25 to 35% range. Using an uncer-
tainty limit of 25% (u = 0.25) for the site-
specific  soil radium  data, a 90% confi-
dence limit for the radium GSD (p = 0.1),
and solving for the 95% confidence limit
on the transformed radium data  gives a
minimum value of n = 19. For practical
purposes, the  minimum n is rounded to
20. Thus, at least 20 soil radium samples
must  be collected  and analyzed for a
4,000-m2 (1-acre) site to have similar con-
fidence in the site-specific radon potential
as in the  radon protection map.
  The sensitivity analyses also give infor-
mation on how the 20 soil samples should
be distributed. For example, the maximum
depth from which soil generally influences
indoor radon is about 2.4  m (8 ft), if the
soil is uniform  and has the limiting sandy
texture. The sensitivity to non-uniform lay-
ers further shows that samples should be
collected  at intervals  not exceeding about
0.6 m (2 ft). Therefore, if 2.4-m (8-ft) bore-
holes are sampled with compositing over
0.6-m (2-ft) intervals,  four samples will be
obtained  from  each borehole and  a mini-
mum  of five boreholes will be required to
represent the 4,000 m2 unit area.
  For site areas smaller than  4,000 m2,
fewer soil samples can  be considered.
However,  fewer samples increases the
uncertainty in the upper limit for the GSD,
which also increases the calculated radon
potential compared to the value  that would
be calculated if 20  samples were used. A
mathematical accommodation is made to
use fewer soil  samples  for sites smaller
than 4,000 m2.  The approach transforms
the GSD  among  the actual  number of
samples to an equivalent 20-sample GSD.
The transformed GSD is larger to main-
tain an equivalent upper confidence limit.
The transformation  requires that the site
have a slightly lower Cgm than if 20 samples
were analyzed to  compensate  for the in-
creased uncertainty in satisfying the pre-
scribed C95 cut point limits.
  The  calculation  of  site-specific  radon
potentials from site measurements uses a
specialized version of the RAETRAD com-
puter  code.  The  computer code,  called
RAETRAD-F, first calculates the geomet-
ric means  and GSDs of the measured soil
radium concentrations, and determines the
seasonal water  table distribution as it was
defined for the  radon  protection maps. It
then compares  the measured  soil  radon
concentration with concentrations calcu-
lated from the radium measurements and
uses the larger of  the two to extrapolate
the deep-soil  radium  concentrations
throughout the 2.4 - 5.0 m range.
  The RAETRAD-F code next computes
best estimates of indoor radon concentra-
tions for the different seasonal water table
conditions using the geometric means of
the radium measurements. After determin-
ing the geometric mean annual radon con-
centration, Cgm,  from the seasonal values,
the variations among seasonal  conditions
and among the  radium concentrations are
used in Equation 3 to estimate  C95.  If less
than five boreholes were used, the  code
also modifies gRa. The resulting  radon pro-
tection category is determined by compar-
ing C95  to the  4.0- and  8.3-pCi  L1 cut
points used  in the radon protection map
to determine whether the  site  is in the
low, intermediate,  or elevated radon pro-
tection category.


Site-Specific Radon Potential
Measurement  Protocol
  A protocol has been developed for mea-
suring the radon protection category of a
building  site.  The protocol  is an alterna-
tive to the  radon protection map and must
only be performed with standard methods
after any site recontouring that could af-
fect the  water table or the  distribution of
soils. The  protocol applies to land areas

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of 4,000 m2 (1 acre) or smaller.  Larger
areas must be divided  into < 4,000 m2
parcels for using this protocol.

Site Sampling and
Measurements
  Site soil sampling  must use five bore-
holes spread  over  the  site at potential
building  locations. Sites smaller than 4,000
m2 require at least one borehole for every
potential residential building location. If the
site  is  an  individual  lot,  as few as one
sampling  borehole may be  used  if it is
supplemented  with  two additional  soil
samples at least 10 m  away  from  the
borehole and from each other,  and from
the 0-61  cm depth interval (representing
horizontal  and  vertical variations). Soils
shall be collected from each borehole to
represent the 0-61,  61 - 122, 122- 183,
and  183 - 244 cm depth intervals. The
borehole samples and any supplementary
samples shall  be used for measurement
of density  and  for textural classification.
The  remaining  material from each depth
interval  shall be composited for  individual
measurements  of  radium concentration.
The  concentration of radon in the soil  gas
shall be measured at or near one or more
borehole sites. Water table depth must be
determined on the site or on nearby prop-
erty.
  Concentrations of  226Ra shall be mea-
sured from  gastight  sealed, equilibrated
aliquots  of individual samples using a cali-
brated  gamma-ray  spectrometer. The
spectrometer shall be calibrated  by analy-
ses  of standard reference materials and
blanks in identical configurations. The con-
centrations of 226Ra shall be reported indi-
vidually  in  picocuries  per gram  on a dry
mass basis.
  The in-situ soil density  shall  be mea-
sured by the drive cylinder method, or by
other methods approved by the  DCA, us-
ing calibrated equipment. Soil density shall
be reported in grams per cubic centimeter
(dry  mass basis) as 20  individual mea-
surements, as four layer means, or as an
overall site mean. If the in-situ soil  density
is not measured at the site, a default value
of 1.5 g  cnr3 shall be  used in the analyses
for computing the  site  radon  protection
category.
  Soil texture classification shall use labo-
ratory or field  methods  to select  one of
the 12 SCS classes:  sand, loamy sand,
sandy loam, sandy clay loam,  sandy clay,
loam, clay loam, silty loam, clay, silty clay
loam, silty clay, or silt. The classifications
should be reported for all 20 samples, or
for homogeneous sites, for the four layer
classes, or for the entire site.  Because of
the conservative results obtained with the
sand classification  and the prevalence of
sandy  soils  throughout Florida, soil tex-
ture classifications need not be performed
if a default classification of "sand" is used
in the analyses.
  Soil  gas  222Rn concentrations shall be
sampled by drawing soil gas from a driven
tube and measuring the 222Rn concentra-
tion with a calibrated device. The soil ra-
don  measurements must be  made  near
one or more borehole locations at 1.2 m
or deeper.  To avoid radon perturbation,
the gas samples shall  be collected before
soil boring,  or afterward if they are about
2 - 3 m away from the bore  holes.  If the
water table is shallower than  1.2 m at the
time of soil gas sampling, soil radon mea-
surements may not be required, if (a) the
minimum water table  depth  is less  than
0.6 m  and  (b) there is no evidence that
the water table  would be below 1.2 m
during  an alternative season.
  The  water table depth  shall be speci-
fied, as for the  radon  protection map, as
the minimum water table depth (in centi-
meters) and duration (in months). These
data may be obtained from the STATSGO
data base,  from county soil survey data,
or from measurements during at least four
seasons at  3-month  intervals.  The shal-
lowest  of these  shall  be defined as the
minimum water table depth,  and a mini-
mum duration  of 3  months shall be  de-
fined unless a longer time  is  indicated by
the measurements.

Data Analysis
  The site-specific measurements shall be
assembled  and analyzed  using   the
RAETRAD-F   computer  code.   The
RAETRAD-F code  automatically imple-
ments the equations in this report with the
reference house specifications in a  way
that  corresponds to the calculations per-
formed for the residential radon protection
map. The user  is prompted  to enter the
site identification information and individual
site  measurement  data. The code  then
computes  the  appropriate statistical  pa-
rameters for the radium  measurements,
the annual water table  distribution from
the water table  data,  the  soil moistures
from the texture and density data, and all
other parameters required  for the annual
average indoor  radon distribution for the
reference house. From this distribution,  a
C95 value is computed and compared to
the 4.0- and 8.3-pCi L1 cut  points, and the
site is  designated to have either low, in-
termediate,  or elevated radon potential.
The printed  output from the RAETRAD-F
code includes the user-specified input pa-
rameters,  the  calculated  C95  value, and
the site radon potential designation.

Summary and Conclusions
  The site-specific  protocol and basis de-
scribed in the  full report can  be  used to
measure and interpret features at  a site to
give supplementary guidance on the pos-
sible need for radon-protective construction
features.  Although  site-specific tests can
help in making more informed decisions,
the user should also  consider the  relative
costs of using conservative radon controls
and the EPA guidance on further reducing
radon levels even below 4 pCi  L1.
  The site-specific protocol is defined from
sensitivity analyses of radon entry into  a
reference  house as  determined  by the
RAETRAD model. By using the  same
model, reference  house, and other pa-
rameters used  for the residential radon
protection maps, the present protocol has
the same  basis as the maps. The sensi-
tivity analyses identified radium  concen-
tration, soil layer depth,  soil density, soil
texture, and water  table  depth as the in-
dependent parameters dominating indoor
radon. Of these, radium and  water table
depth were most important. Soils up to
2.4 m deep contributed to indoor radon in
uniform-soil scenarios, and soil layers ex-
ceeding approximately 0.6 m thickness
significantly affected radon levels in cases
of non-uniform radium.
  A conservative upper limit for radon po-
tential, defined as the 95%  confidence
limit for radon in the reference  house, was
defined  mathematically to correspond to
the radon  protection map. The number of
samples needed to represent a site was
determined from the equivalent  regional
precision attained by  the radon protection
map. Based on the sensitivity of the con-
tributing soil depth and  layer thickness,
the  site-specific  measurements were
shown to  require 20  samples for every
4,000 m2  (1  acre). These samples are
distributed  throughout four depth  incre-
ments that extend to a depth of 2.4 m. An
equivalent  precision  is  computed for  a
smaller parcel of land using fewer samples.
  The site-specific  protocol involves drill-
ing five boreholes in each 4,000 m2 parcel
of land. Twenty soil  samples obtained from
the borings are used for radium measure-
ments. The soil borings are also used for
density and textural estimates unless de-
fault values are chosen. A soil  radon mea-
surement  detects the potential presence
of anomalous  elevated-radium materials
at depth. The site water table depths are
defined from soil survey data or  site ob-
servations. The site  measurements are

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analyzed by a special-purpose  computer    same category definitions as for the resi-    map category for radon  protection pur-
code called RAETRAD-F to determine the    dential  radon  protection  map,  the    poses.
upper limit for  indoor radon concentra-    RAETRAD-F code determines whether the
tions in  the reference house. Using the    site is in the low,  intermediate,  or elevated

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  Kirk K. Me/son,  Vern C. Rogers, and Rodger B. Holt are with Rogers and Associates
    Engineering Corp., Salt Lake City, UT 84110-0330.
  David C. Sanchez is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
  The complete report, entitled "Site-Specific Protocol for Measuring Soil Radon Potentials
    for Florida Houses," (Order No. PB96-175260; Cost: $21.50, subjectto change) will be
    available only from:
          National Technical Information Service
          5285 Port Royal Road
          Springfield, VA 22161
          Telephone: 703-487-4650
  The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
          Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division
          National Risk Management Research Laboratory
          U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
          Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information
Cincinnati,  OH 45268

Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
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POSTAGE & FEES PAID
         EPA
   PERMIT NO. G-35
EPA/600/SR-96/045

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