Parametric modelling of temporal variations in radon concentrations in homes

The ²²²Rn (radon) concentrations in the living area, the basement, and the underlying soil of a New Jersey home have been measured at half-hour intervals over the course of a year, as have indoor and outdoor temperatures, wind speed and direction, indoor-outdoor and basement-subslab pressures; in addition, periods of furnace operation have been logged. A preliminary version of a mathematical model is developed that demonstrates the dependence of the radon concentrations on the environmental variables and the extent of furnace use, with the purposes of improving the ability to predict occurrences of elevated concentrations in general, increasing the usefulness of short-term measurements in particular, and assisting in the devising of remedial measures. The possibility of determining the model parameters from knowledge or measurement of geological and structural characteristics is discussed.