Le radon dans les bâtiments.

Robe, M.Ch.; Tirmarche, M.; Pirard, Ph. Annales du Batiment et des Travaux Publics, no.4 p. 67-84

Since the creation of the earth, its subsoil contains radioactive components at various concentrations and activities. Uranium is one of them. The common and main characteristic of all this radioactive material is its instability: during their disintegration new components appear, some of them are radioactive, others not. One of the products issued out of uranium decay is radon, a radioactive gas of natural origin. This gas may concentrate in dwellings where people spend most of their time. Radon gas represents more than one third of the total radioactive exposure of the French population. It may induce an excess of lung cancer in the exposed population: consequently surveys of radon exposure in French dwellings and its effects re currently carried on. Reducing high radon levels in dwellings is possible by using remedial actions, most of them can be easily implemented for new houses as well as by the occupants of old houses at relatively low prices.