Long-Term Measurements of Equilibrium Factor and Unattached Fraction of Short-Lived Radon Decay Products in a Dwelling - Comparison with Praddo Model

Abstract

According to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR 1993), the dose due to the inhalation of radon decay products represents almost 50% of the total natural radiation dose to the general population. The scientific community is interested in the assessment of the risk induced by domestic radon exposure. The dosimetric models used to estimate the dose are very sensitive to unattached fraction and size distributions, which makes the characterization of the indoor radon decay products aerosol necessary. For this purpose, longterm measurements of unattached fraction (fp ) and equilibrium factor (F) were taken in a dwelling under typical indoor domestic aerosol conditions. An original device consisting of an annular diffusion channel set in parallel with an open filter was developed and calibrated to continuously measure the unattached fraction. Moreover, radon activity concentration and particle concentration were simultaneously monitored. With aged aerosol, particl...