Abstract
(1) Background: Radon concentrations in the environment are generally very low. However, radon concentrations can be high indoors and can cause some serious health issues. The main source of indoor radon (homes, buildings and other residential objects) can be soil under the house, while other sources can be construction materials, groundwater and natural gas. Radon accumulates mainly in the lower levels of the buildings (especially low-ventilated underground levels and basements). (2) Methods: in this paper, we have measured the indoor radon concentrations at 15 locations in various objects (basements and ground floor/1st floor rooms) in the area of northern Croatia. (3) Results: the results show a higher concentration of radon in the basement area in comparison to values measured in the ground floor and first-floor rooms. The arithmetic mean (AM) and geometric mean (GM) of basement rooms were 70.9 ± 38.8 Bq/m3 and 61.2 ± 2.2 Bq/m3 compared to ground floor and first-floor rooms 42.5 ± 30.8 Bq/m3 and 32.8 ± 2.9 Bq/m3, respectively. (4) Conclusions: results obtained (AM and GM values) are within the maximal allowed values (300 Bq/m3) according to the Euroatom Directive. However, there are periods when maximum radon concentration exceeds 300 Bq/m3. Indoor radon concentrations vary with the occupancy of the rooms and it is evident that the ventilation has significant effect on the reduction of concentration.
Highlights
Radon is a natural, colorless, odorless radioactive gas with three natural isotopes, actinone Rn, thoron Rn and radon 222 Rn, and it is the main natural source of radiation on Earth
Indoor radon concentrations vary with the occupancy of the rooms and it is evident that the ventilation has significant effect on the reduction of concentration
Indoor radon concentration values can vary on daily basis, depending on several factors: thermo-hygrometric conditions, time of season, soil types, strength of the radon source in the underlying bedrock, pressure changes created by the building as well as level of ventilation and occupancy itself contribute significantly [6,7,8,9,10,11]
Summary
Colorless, odorless radioactive gas with three natural isotopes, actinone Rn, thoron Rn and radon 222 Rn, and it is the main natural source of radiation on Earth. Soil and water naturally contain radon due to presence of uranium in trace concentrations as well as its immediate parent and because of the radioactive decay of radium. It can be found everywhere in the Earth’s crust and it crosses from the ground into the air. Radon is an unstable radionuclide that disintegrates through short-lived decay products before eventually reaching the end product of stable lead. The short-lived decay products of radon are responsible for most of the hazards posed by inhalation. The concentration of radon in the open air is quite low
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