Radon and thoron radiation exposure of the Angolan population living in adobe houses

Judith Salupeto-Dembo,Zsuzsanna Szabó-Krausz,Péter Völgyesi,Csaba Szabό

doi:10.1007/s10967-020-07215-4

Abstract

This study investigates radon and thoron activity concentrations in adobe houses of Angola. Activity concentrations were recorded by passive detectors in rainy and dry seasons in 40 dwellings located at three areas with different climatic and geological backgrounds (Cabinda, Huambo, Menongue). Regarding seasonal and spatial variations, radon activity concentrations are higher in the rainy than in the dry season and both radon and thoron levels are the highest in Huambo, the central part of the country. The number of adobe houses above certain radon and thoron levels were estimated and the contribution of thoron to the inhalation dose was significant.

Highlights

For a couple of decades, radon has been a subject of research due to its potential risk causing lung cancer
Basic statistics of radon and thoron activity concentrations are summarized in Table 1 and the box and whisker plots of Fig. 4a and b
Seasonal and spatial variations of the radon and thoron activity concentrations in Angolan adobe houses at three, geologically and geographically different study areas were detected in this study

Summary

Introduction

For a couple of decades, radon has been a subject of research due to its potential risk causing lung cancer. It is considered the second most important cause of lung cancer after smoking [1]. Radon is hazardous because of its mobility and due to its 3.8 day half-life what leads to accumulation in closed places [2]. In another hand, radon-220, called otherwise thoron, another isotope of radon from the 232Th decay chain, has been usually ignored given its short half-life of 55.6 s [3].

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Conclusion