Study the Paints as a Shield for Walls from Exhalation of Radon Gas Using CR-39 Nuclear Track Detector

Abstract

This work presented a new technique to measure the exposure of radon gas from painted wall for 32 different kinds of paints. By using a passive technique, solid state nuclear track detector (CR-39), has been putting inside a closed container (barrel), which installed on the painted wall for a measurement time of 30 days. The results of radon exposure measurements for painted wall samples were changed from 13.4±8.1 Bq.m -3 in PN9 sample to 65.2±13.7 Bq.m -3 in LV sample, with an average value 44.6±12.3 Bq.m -3 . The radon shield percentage (RSP) has been calculated in this research for the first time. The results showed that the preference radon shield percentage in (PN6, PN9, PL5 and PL6) samples were reach to about (72%), which leads to reducing the radon exhalation rates, while the lowest values of (RSP) was about (40%) which leads to increasing the radon exhalation rates in (FA1, LV, ST and GF2) because these samples contain some interior concentrations of radon gas. Potential energy of alpha concentration (WL), radon progeny concentration (WLM.Y -1 ), radon exhalation rate (Bq.m -2 .h -1 ), indoor internal exposure (Bq.m -3 ), annual absorbed dose (mSv.y -1 ), annual effective dose (mSv.y -1 ) and lung cancer risk were calculated for the measurement of painted wall samples, to assess the radiation hazards arising from building materials and paint samples itself.