Results of Measurements of Radon Volume Activity in Azerbaijan

Abstract

The procedures and results of measuring radon volume activity (concentration) in Azerbaijan (in residential and industrial premises, soil air, thermal waters, and mud volcanoes) are described. It was established that indoor radon concentrations vary in a wide range: from 20 to 1110 Bq/m3; about 7% of the total amount of measurements exceed the maximum permissible limits in Azerbaijan (200 Bq/m3). Based on these data, maps of the distribution of indoor radon volume activity in Azerbaijan are constructed for the first time. The enhanced radon concentrations are confined to fold-mountain massifs of Greater and Lesser Caucasus and Talysh. Results of measurements of radon concentrations in indoor air are very consistent with the data of radon content in soil air. The content of radon in thermal waters is not high generally, except for the waters of one carbon source in the Talysh region, where its concentration is above the maximum permissible level accepted for drinking water. Enhanced values of radon volume activity in mud volcanoes (especially in gases released from the gryphons) have also been revealed. Based on the complex processing of the data, a conclusion is drawn about the natural origin of enhanced values of radon volume activity in this part of the examined residential premises in Azerbaijan.