The steel door manufacturer Buchele for the first time presents a multifunctional door made of thermoplastical material with a certified antiviral coating made of nano-silver particels

Download: Press release, Image 1

28 September 2021

Doors as a safeguard against radon

As a specialist for multifunctional steel and special doors Buchele GmbH also manufactures  air-tight doors that reliably protect from the radioactive element radon. Radon is according to the Federal Office for Radiation the leading cause for lung cancer. The noble gas diffuses from the soil layers and appears in varying concentrations everywhere in the environment. In areas where the radon concentration exceeds the critical value . new private buildings and buildings in which people work protective measures have to be taken to protect against the chemical element.

Airtightness as a measure of precaution against radon

So far there are no normative requirements to radon tightness of doors, however, the doors should be “sufficiently tight” according to DIN/ST 189117-1 as far as they are intended to protect against radon. „If an enhanced radon exposure e. g. in cellars cannot be lowered or exterior doors are below ground level radon tight doors should definitely be installed to protect the health of residents or employees“, says Juergen Buchele, managing director of the family owned Swabian company that is renowned for its high-quality doors and gates. „As a measure for radon tightness of doors we can rely on air-tightness. The more impermeable a door is the higher the radon tightness.“

Radon tightness, multifunctional doors

Air-tight doors made by Buchele GmbH meet all predefined values that the Federal Office for Radiation Protection deem to be sufficiently radon tight in accordance with DIN 18055:1981-10 and DIN EN 12207:2017-03. The high-quality, ageing resistant and low-maintenance sealing profiles, which are standard in all doors, ensure a permanent tightness.   „For the calculation of the source strength of radon in a particular case we provide measurement data of the air-permeability – for lower requirements as well as for high requirements “, says Buchele.  The air-tight doors of the Buchele GmbH are also available as fire protection doors T30 to T120 and as smoke protection doors.

Noble gas with radioactive decay products

Radon is a colorless,  odorless and tasteless noble gas that diffuses through the earth layers into the atmosphere, the groundwater and in cellar rooms. As all other noble gases radon hardly undergoes chemical bonding but is soluble in water and fat-soluble. Radon and its radioactive decay products float in the air or adhere to particles and will be deposited in the respiratory tract when inhaled.  Die α -rays of the radioactive decay products can cause lung cancer. The Federal States were obliged to determine and define areas where the radon concentration of  the soil air exceeds a critical value by the end of 2020.