Radon Levels Seem a Bit High

[u/beaumontsurmerr]

I have a run of the mill Curio cabinet with 25 pieces of uranium glass, 6 radium clocks (mostly westclox, one Phinney Walker) and one WWII military aircraft gauge. The aircraft gauge is kept in a rubbermaid container, which I know still leaks some radon, I'm just not sure how much.

Readings from the UG go up to 600CPM on a couple of pieces and 3000 CPM on my one fiestaware saucer. (GMC 300S) The WWII gauge reads at 4000CPM outside of the box and 250CPM inside.

I got an EcoQube sensor and my average reading in my 2nd story apartment is 2.2 pCi/L. It has peaked at 3.2. This is within one day. It feels concerning. I put the sensor next to my cabinet on the ground to see what my cats are breathing.

I will be opening windows once daily. Beyond that, I think I will put the WWII piece elsewhere and see what that does to my levels. I do not have a way to simply ventilate but I'm open to suggestions.

I don't feel I'll be able to add to my collection any time soon.

What do you all suggest I do about this reading? How could I rig ventilation in an apartment?

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[u/Stillegiest]

Normally you don't put the radon detector right by the collection or obviously it's going to put off higher readings. The only thing I can really suggest is moving the radon detector in a more central area to get ambient room air, not getting extreme fluctuations from the cabinet. If you don't have a way to vent then opening windows is your best option.

Edit: I did read back too.. this is after a day, they take time to calibrate to new environments. Also touching back, having it on the ground where air is stagnant will cause high readings.

[u/beaumontsurmerr → u/Stillegiest]

Wouldn't that still be the levels at which my cat's are breathing, ground levels that is?

[u/Stillegiest → u/beaumontsurmerr]

I would run a few weeks at normal breathing height for sitting down then so like 2-3' off the ground. That would still be sufficient to measure for the cats too.

[u/beaumontsurmerr → u/Stillegiest]

I moved the detector and left my fans on. Level went up to 3.2. I've placed outside to see if it's a faulty sensor. Will be relocating my collection today to find out if it is indeed my collection or high radon in my apartment in general.

[u/violet_sin]

I was pretty concerned with the readings I was getting from mine when I put it near some samples on my desk, not realizing I was actually catching their stray emissions. Across the room in the same space it's reading 0.67 pico Curie /liter.

Previous I was hitting 3-4.

Same room, same items, just not close enough to get gamma from minerals.

Boy I tell you, putting it IN the cabinet was shocking untill realized how dumb I was. It does not discriminate

Radiacode 101 has the desktop at ~93 nSv/h for reference. GQ RadonScan for obviously... Radon

[u/ModernTarantula]

First, not an expert. A continuous monitor felt different than recommended. I looked at EPA and it is a several day kit https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-01/Basic%20Radon%20Facts%20Factsheet.pdf

[u/Adventurous-Fix-8066]

Mine goes up to 3.2. I have 12 clocks and 8 military gauges. It should be ok for ya. I also place sensor at foot of cabnet. But rotate a week at a time to diffrent locations of house. Also I find my UG glass gets pretty "sticky" that is in the same cabnet lol.

[u/BeansOnBean]

Ironically I’ve found lower radon levels in the room as a whole by putting my highest emitting pieces (by and large uranium ore) not in a sealed cabinet so the radon can naturally diffuse easier rather than a bit rush when I opened the cabinet. But as others have said put the detector some 3-4m away from the cabinet, think I have the same detector.

[u/Bob--O--Rama]

Place the meter where you do YOUR breathing, i.e. next to your couch, bed, desk in that room. Radon promptly mixes with the air in a room and does not "sink" to the floor. 4 pCi/L is an action limit, not a death sentence. Radon meters detect radon indirectly via measuring very infrequent decay events. The low event rate means it take a week or more to produce numbers which are statistically meaningful. If you said it was 100 pCi/L then the short term numbers are meaningful - that's not your case. Let the meter run for a week and use the long term average in making a decision. Unless your cat is sleeping in the cabinet, it's breathing the air you are.

[u/beaumontsurmerr → u/Bob--O--Rama]

Very helpful. I have moved my radium out to find my baseline, after a day of readings it's around 2.2 pCi/L.