„Rn Protected“ – intelligent radon ventilation and differential humidity control

Products from ZILA with the „Rn Protected“ logo contribute to protecting both personal safety and the building fabric, thanks to their innovative technology for intelligent room ventilation.

„Rn Protected“ describes our climate control's automated determination of suitable ventilation times with radon and climate sensors in order to avoid an increased radon exposure in indoor spaces. Room ventilation based on the radon concentration and the absolute humidity difference between the indoor and outdoor climate, decreases the risk for humans to inhale radioactive decay products of the gas radon. However, these decay products can easily form a compound with aerosols in the room air, which, in turn, can quickly become a toxic, non-perceivable threat. 

Yet the control will no longer continue ventilation if this would result in too much moisture entering the room.

Both the measurement of the radon concentration in the interior and the determination of the differential humidity between the indoor and outdoor climate are innovative technologies for intelligent room ventilation. The radon level and the humidity are kept at a balanced level, preventing the radioactive decay products from combining with aerosols, which could possibly be inhaled. All of this significantly minimises the risk of health problems and helps to ensure radon protection.

What is radon?

Radon is an odourless, tasteless and colourless noble gas with a high density.
It is a radioactive decay product of radium, thorium and uranium. Due to its nature, radon can be released into the atmosphere through gas-permeable soils. If the earth's surface is covered with buildings, radon also finds its way into cellars and basements.
In addition, it is soluble in water and fat and decays into radioactive isotopes. These decay products are no longer gases, but heavy metals such as lead, polonium and bismuth, containing alpha, beta and gamma radiation. Especially the alpha radiation may become dangerous for humans because it can damage body cells. The isotopes of radon gas are free-floating and combine with water molecules, so that deposits on surfaces or dust particles may form. That means humans could eventually inhale these particles when breathing.

Legal regulations of radon protection

In 2013, the Council of the European Union adopted a directive (2013/59/Euratom) that updated European radiation protection law. In Germany, a new Radiation Protection Ordinance with a separate chapter on radon and a revised Radiation Protection Act came into force on 31 December 2018.

Reliable partners for your safety

For a safe, radon-free environment, you need reliable measuring technology. According to §155 of the Radiation Protection Act, the manufacturer of measuring instruments must be recognised by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). Our partner RadonTec supports us to provide you with a safe solution for radon measurement in your rooms. For this purpose, we use a radon sensor, based on a Lukas cell, which determines the radon content in the air.

The advantage of this measuring cell is that alpha radiation can be detected reliably, whilst gamma and beta radiation hardly have any influence on the measurements. This works through a scintillation chamber with a fluorescent layer. When the alpha radiation and the scintillator collide, flashes of light are generated that can be converted into electrical pulse forms.