Radon-hazard-potential areas in Sandy, Salt Lake County, and Provo, Utah County, Utah (SS-85)

By: B. J. Solomon, B. D. Black, D. L. Nielson, D. L. Finerfrock, and J. D. Hultquist

Average indoor-radon levels in two areas of the Wasatch Front region of north-central Utah are considerably higher than the national average of 1.7 picocuries per liter. The average indoor-radon level on the eastern bench of Sandy near Little Cottonwood Canyon is 3.8 pCi/L and on the east bench of Provo it is 2.9 pCi/L. However, indoor measurements are affected by construction type, building maintenance, occupant lifestyle, and weather and cannot be used to accurately estimate the radon-hazard potential in nearby, untested homes. Geologic characteristics of foundation materials which govern the potential for indoor radon are relatively uniform within geologic units that underlie the study area, and were used to estimate the radon-hazard potential of Sandy and Provo.

The radon-hazard potential was estimated using three geologic factors (1) uranium content of soils, (2) concentration of soil gas, and (3) depth to ground water. Numerical scores were applied to each factor, and three radon-hazard-potential categories were established based on the cumulative totals of the three factors. The categories characterize the hazard potential of each major Quaternary geologic unit.

Other Information:
Published: 1994
Pages: 49 p.
Location: Salt Lake and Utah Counties
Media Type: Paper Publication