@article{98bf282865634a1286f69786338570a1,
title = "Radon and moisture impacts from interventions integrated with housing energy retrofits",
abstract = "Energy retrofits can reduce air exchange, raising the concern of whether indoor radon and moisture levels could increase. This pre/post-intervention study explored whether simple radon interventions implemented in conjunction with energy retrofits can prevent increases in radon and moisture levels. Treatment homes (n = 98) were matched with control (no energy retrofits or radon intervention) homes (n = 12). Control homes were matched by geographic location and foundation type. t-tests were used to determine whether post-energy retrofit radon and moisture level changes in treatment homes significantly differed from those in control homes. The radon interventions succeeded in preventing statistically significant increases in first floor radon using arithmetic (p = 0.749) and geometric means (p = 0.120). In basements, arithmetic (p = 0.060) and geometric (p = 0.092) mean radon levels statistically significantly increased, consistent with previous studies which found that basement radon levels may increase even if first floor levels remain unchanged. Changes in infiltration were related to changes in radon (p = 0.057 in basements; p = 0.066 on first floors). Only 58% of the change in infiltration was due to air sealing, with the rest due to weather changes. There was no statistically significant association between air sealing itself and radon levels on the first floor (p = 0.664). Moisture levels also did not significantly increase.",
keywords = "energy retrofits, housing, indoor air quality, moisture, radon",
author = "Francisco, {Paul W.} and Stacy Gloss and Jonathan Wilson and William Rose and Yigang Sun and Dixon, {Sherry L.} and Jill Breysse and Ellen Tohn and Jacobs, {David E.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank the many residents who granted us access to their homes for this study and to the energy retrofit agencies that collected data (Southern New Hampshire Services, Manchester, NH; Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack, Concord, NH; Tri-County Opportunities Council, Rock Falls, IL; Northwestern Illinois Community Action Agency, Freeport, IL; Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, Chicago, IL). This project was funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, Tavaris Kinchen and Chris Trent, HUD GTRs (HUD Grant ILHHU0012-13). This project was approved by the UIUC Institutional Review Board. Funding Information: We thank the many residents who granted us access to their homes for this study and to the energy retrofit agencies that collected data (Southern New Hampshire Services, Manchester, NH; Community Action Program Belknap‐Merrimack, Concord, NH; Tri‐County Opportunities Council, Rock Falls, IL; Northwestern Illinois Community Action Agency, Freeport, IL; Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, Chicago, IL). This project was funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, Tavaris Kinchen and Chris Trent, HUD GTRs (HUD Grant ILHHU0012‐13). This project was approved by the UIUC Institutional Review Board. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd",
year = "2020",
month = jan,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1111/ina.12616",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "30",
pages = "147--155",
journal = "Indoor Air",
issn = "0905-6947",
publisher = "Blackwell Munksgaard",
number = "1",
}