Healthy Homes

High Moisture in a home is unhealthy and Armourtech eliminates moisture passing through concrete into the living space and allows the application of paints and flooring adhesives. Armourtech therefore also mitigates Radon gas which is an invisible and odorless radioactive gas is produced by the natural disintegration of radioactive heavy metals uranium and thorium, which are dispersed throughout the Earth’s crust.

Uranium and its daughter products radium and radon, are found in nearly all rocks and soils.
Most contain only 1 to 3 parts per million (ppm) of uranium, but some, like granites, dark shales, light-colored volcanic rocks, and sedimentary rocks with phosphate, may contain as much as 100 ppm. Thorium, which is even more common, also produces radium.

Radon gas naturally moves into the permeable disturbed soil and the gravel bed surrounding foundations and then, into the buildings through openings and pores in concrete. Radon from soil is by far the main source of indoor radon.

Building materials like rocks, bricks, and concrete also give off radon. They produce Radon-222 and Thoron (Radon-220), but only 0.1 – 0.3 pCi/L each in a typical basement.

Radon is soluble in water and also gets indoors by “water migration”. Water is drawn indoors by the capillary action of the pores in concrete or pushed by hydrostatic pressure (seepage).

The higher temperature and lower pressure indoors release the gas. The typical basement or slab lets in 35 or 50 ltrs of water and vapor each day. Radon from outside air also settles in basements, because it is nine times heavier than air.

In the US the target of the Radon Abatement Act is the natural level outdoors (average 0.4 pCi/L). Radon is the most potent carcinogen in our homes and buildings you cannot see radon gas and you cannot smell it or taste it. Radon is a proven and very potent “Class A” carcinogen. As the only gas in the decay chains of radioactive heavy metals, radon and its floating radioactive products can easily get into human body by inhalation. Radiation is called the “complete carcinogen” because, unlike chemical carcinogens, radiation alone can initiate, promote and propagate cancer.

The average person receives a higher radiation dose from radon at home than from all other natural or man-made sources combined. The US National Academy of Sciences estimates that radon causes 19,000 cancer deaths in the U.S. each year, and the recent “Annual Report on Carcinogens 2000” attributes to radon 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year.

After smoking, “radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.” (Surgeon General) Among non-smokers, radon is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer deaths.

The Radon Solution

Armourtech Penetrating Concrete Sealer seals micro-crevices and minute pores inside the concrete against radon atoms, as well as the much larger water molecules. Sealing the pores stops radon diffusion through the slab, as well as the walls. It does not depend on the changing permeability of soil or the reliability of mechanical equipment.

Armourtech does much more than radon mitigation. It also stops or prevents water seepage, water vapor migration, condensation, molds, mildew, and musty odors. It strengthens and preserves the concrete, stops efflorescence and concrete dusting, and prepares the concrete for painting or adhesives.

Armourtech Concrete Sealer should be considered as a vital aspect of any concrete building project to mitigate the very harmful effects of Radon gas.