Study Of Indoor Radon Research Articles

Radon Risk Assessment and Correlation Study of Indoor Radon, Radium-226, and Radon in Soil at the Cobalt–Nickel Bearing Area of Lomié, Eastern Cameroon

Radon Risk Assessment and Correlation Study of Indoor Radon, Radium-226, and Radon in Soil at the Cobalt–Nickel Bearing Area of Lomié, Eastern Cameroon

Study of indoor radon, thoron and their decay products level in residences of Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, India

Study of indoor radon, thoron and their decay products level in residences of Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, India

Indoor exposure levels of radon in dwellings, schools, and offices in China from 2000 to 2020: A systematic review.

After decades of development, the indoor environment in China has changed. A systematic review was conducted from peer-reviewed scientific papers with field test data of indoor radon in China from 2000 to 2020 for three types of buildings. The mean concentrations of indoor radon for dwellings, school buildings, and office buildings are 54.6, 56.1, and 54.9Bq/m3 . The indoor radon concentration was related to seasons, climate regions, ventilation, decoration, and other factors such as soil and outdoor air. Colder seasons, especially in severe colder areas of China, newer decorated buildings, closed windows, and doors were all associated with higher indoor radon concentrations. Variables like climate region and ventilation showed statistical significance in the correlation analysis. Regarding the increasing trend of indoor radon concentration in China during the last two decades, further study of indoor radon is necessary especially for school buildings and office buildings, and will help access its environmental burden of disease in China more accurately.

Study of Indoor Radon Using Data Mining Models Based on OLAP Cubes

This research has focused on a radon measurement campaign that was carried out in two dwellings in a residential building located in Madrid. A new methodology has been used in this field, such as the use of cubes based on On-Line Analytical Processing in SQL Server Analysis Services. The application of this methodology can be of particular interest in analysing thousands of radon measurements and complementary variables, which are easily obtained in any radon measurement campaign.

STUDY OF INDOOR RADON, THORON AND THEIR PROGENY IN SOUTH WEST KHASI HILLS DISTRICT OF MEGHALAYA, INDIA.

A survey of indoor radon/thoron and their progeny concentrations was carried out in dwellings in the South West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, India. The survey was carried out using solid-state nuclear track detectors based on single-entry pinhole dosimeter and direct radon/thoron progeny sensors. The results are subjected to statistical analysis and discussed in the manuscript. The mean value of annual effective dose of the study region is estimated at 1.8mSv.y -1. Seasonal variability and role of different indoor parameters are also discussed.

Study of Indoor Radon/ Thoron Concentration with Respect to Construction Types of Dwellings in Mizoram, India

Indoor radon and thoron concentrations have been measured in the year 2015-2016 using the newly developed pin-hole based radon/thoron discriminating dosimeters with single entry. The measurements have been carried out in fifty dwellings of eight different villages/town situated in Saiha and Lawngtlai District, Mizoram. Dwellings were selected from the building type along with an idea of different ventilation conditions which affects the indoor concentration. Reinforce Cement Concrete (RCC) type of buildings are found to have the highest concentration of indoor radon (100.34 ± 7 Bq/m3) and thoron (41.41 ± 18 Bq/m3) and grounded house are found to have higher concentration compared to that of house with crawl space. However, the concentrations obtained in this work lies in the range covered by nationwide survey result as well as the ICRP regulations.

Seasonal indoor radon studies in buildings of Accra Metropolis of Greater Accra region of Ghana

Indoor radon concentration for annual, rainy and dry season have been studied in 228 buildings which includes bedroom, kitchen, sitting room, laboratories and offices in Accra metropolis of Greater Accra of Ghana. The passive radon CR-39 SSNTD was used for this study. The cumulative frequency distribution, normalizing Q-Q plots, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk statistical test showed that the result of both workplaces and dwellings are not normally distributed. The strong positive correlation between the two seasons occurred at 95% confidence level with 2 tailed. The rainy season recorded highest coefficient variation of r2 = 0.982. Statistical analysis of median (39.3), AM (103.4), GM (57.9) and GSD (3.2) for rainy season were greater than that of the dry season of median (26.9), AM (88.2), GM (49.2) and GSD (2.8) respectively. Rainy season was found to contain high radon concentrations than the dry season for all the studied locations. In general, workplace had radon concentration far greater than dwellings. The results obtained from this study ranged between 13.6 to 533.7 Bq/m3, out of which 9.6%, 12.7% and 3.5% were found to be greater than action levels proposed by WHO, EC and ICRP.

A study of indoor radon, thoron and their exhalation rates in the environment of Fazilka district, Punjab, India

Over the last few decades, the study of radioactive radon gas has gained huge momentum due to its possible role in health related hazards. In the present work, pin-hole twin chamber single entrance dosimeters have been used for track measurements of radon and thoron. The annual average radon concentration varies from 50.3 to 204 Bq/m3 at all locations. Almost all the values are below the safe range provided by ICRP. Radon concentration is found to be higher in winter as compared to other seasons. Variation of radon with quality of dwellings is also discussed. The values of annual effective dose due to radon and thoron are also well within the range provided by ICRP and WHO. Radon and thoron exhalation rates are measured using SMART RnDuo monitor. The radon mass exhalation rates ranged from 11 to 71 mBq/kg/h while the thoron surface values ranged from 36 to 2048 Bq/m2/h. All the values are on the lower side. A weak correlation is found between radon and thoron concentrations and their exhalation rates. When compared with the values of other parts of northern India, the values of present investigation are on higher side.

RESULTS OF INDOOR RADON MEASUREMENTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA: – A REVIEW –

Radon and its short lived decay products accumulated in indoor environment are the main source of public exposure to natural radiations. The health effects as well as a great number of natural and artificial factors affecting the radon accumulation in indoor environments are some of the motives for the scientific interest in radon issue. Following this global trend, many studies of indoor radon in the Balkan region, including the Republic of Macedonia have been conducted in the last decade. This paper is an overview of the published papers regarding indoor radon concentration measurements with nuclear track detectors in the Republic of Macedonia. It gives basic information about the spatial and temporal variability of indoor radon over the territory of the country, following by a description of the some factors which affect its variations. This review attempts: to organize available indoor radon results in order to show clear picture of the so far conducted surveys; to highlight the need for continuation of more extensive radon investigation in workplaces; to motivate the building professionals to create as much as possible mitigation methods for indoor radon reduction, to motivate the health professionals for epidemiological studies etc.

STUDY OF RADON AND THORON CONCENTRATION IN ENVIRONMENT OF MORADABAD DISTRICT OF UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

Purpose: A study of indoor radon and thoron has been carried out in the dwelling of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Radon is an invisible radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the indoor atmosphere. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soils and rocks. Lung cancer risk depends upon the concentration of radon, thoron and their decay product in the air.
 Methodology: The measurements of radon and thoron concentration were carried out by using LR-115 type II plastic track detectors (SSNTD Technique). 
 Findings: In the present study the value of radon concentration from10.5 Bq/m3to 30Bq/m3 with an average19.9Bq/m3and thoron concentration from 5.6 Bq/m3 to 24 Bq/m3 with an average of 14.9 Bq/m3. It is observed that radon and thoron concentration is maximum in winter and minimum during summer. The maximum concentration in winter is essentially influenced by the intense temperature inversion, which occurs in the winter season when the wind velocity is low.
 The maximum concentration in winter is also the result of decreased ventilation because in this season the houses are closed for a long time and radon/thoron accumulated inside the room and a weak positive correlation was observed between radon and thoron.
 Social Implications: There are some difficulties in assessing the exact risks of radon in the home. Most studies have used data from miners who will have had far more exposure to radon than is likely in any building.
 Originality/ Novelty: This study is done at Moradabad City and Research Lab present in S.S.P. G. College Shajhanapur. Data of radon and thoron concentration has been taken from twin cup radon-thoron Dosimeter and Spark Counter.

Effect of energy-efficient measures in building construction on indoor radon in Russia.

The effect of implementation of energy-efficient measures in building construction was studied. Analysis includes study of indoor radon in energy-efficient buildings in Ekaterinburg, Russia, and results of radiation measurements in 83 regions of Russia conducted within the regional programmes. The forecast distribution of radon concentration in Ekaterinburg was built with regard to the city development programme. With Ekaterinburg taken as representative case, forecast distribution of radon concentration in Russia in 2030 was built. In comparison with 2000, average radon concentration increases by a factor of 1.42 in 2030 year; percentage above the reference level 300 Bq/m3 increases by a factor of 4 in 2030 year. It is necessary to perceive such an increase with all seriousness and to prepare appropriate measures for optimization of protection against indoor radon. Despite the high uncertainty, reconstructed distribution of radon concentration can be applied for justification of measures to be incorporated in the radon mitigation strategy.

A study of indoor radon, thoron and their progeny measurement in Tosham region Haryana, India

In the present study indoor radon, thoron and their decay products concentrations have been measured using the newly developed LR-115 type-ІІ based Radon-Thoron discriminating twin-cup dosimeters with single entry face, direct radon and thoron progeny sensors (DRPS/DTPS) respectively. The annual annihilation dose has been assessed from measured radionuclide concentration to find out major contributor of lung cancer in the study area. The measurements have been carried out in NINETY dwellings of THIRTEEN different villages situated in and around the Tosham region. This region is known to be composed of acidic volcanic and associated granites. Dwellings were selected mainly targeting different type building material used in construction of houses like concrete–brick, mud-brick, and mud-thatches along with an idea of different ventilation conditions which affects the equilibrium factor (EF). The EF in this region has been varying from 0.20 to 0.72 and 0.03–0.13 for indoor radon and thoron respectively. The average inhalation dose observed in dwellings of different villages varies from 1.33 ± 0.31–3.36 ± 0.72 mSv/y that lies within the safe limits recommended by ICRP (2011).

Study of Indoor Radon, Thoron, Their Progeny Concentration and Radon Exhalation Rate in the Environs of Mohali, Punjab, Northern India

Radon and its progeny are major contributors that deteriorate the indoor air quality and are the major source of radiation dose received by general population of the world. Keeping this in mind the environmental monitoring of radon-thoron and their progeny in dwellings of district Mohali, Punjab, India has been carried out. The radon-thoron twin dosimeter cups were used for the study. The study of the exhalation rate of the soil samples of Kharar, Kurali and Derabassi of the district Mohali and the sand samples available from the study area has also been carried out for the comparison purpose using can echnique. The aim of the study is the possible health risk assessment in the dwellings of this particular region for which data is not available in literature. The indoor radon concentration varied from 22.8 ± 0.7 Bq/m3 to 45.0 ± 2.2 Bq/m3 with an average of 33.7 Bq/m3 while the thoron concentration in the same dwellings varied from 1.7 ± 0.1 Bq/m3 to 27.6 ± 1.2 Bq/m3 with an average of 12.8 Bq/m3. Annual dose received by the inhabitants in the dwellings under study varied from 0.64 to 1.64 mSv with an average of 1.19 mSv. The radon mass and surface exhalation rates of the soil samples varied from 0.32 to 2.6 mBq/kg/h with an average of 1.36 ± 0.2 mBq/kg/h and from 7.3 to 58.2 mBq/m2/h with an average of 28.3 ± 5.1 mBq/m2/h respectively.

A Comparative Study of Indoor Radon Contributed by Diffusive and Advective Transport through Intact Concrete

The present work is aimed that out of diffusive and advective transport which is dominant process for indoor radon entry under normal room conditions. For this purpose the radon diffusion coefficient and permeability of concrete were measured by specially designed experimental set up. The radon diffusion coefficient of concrete was measured by continuous radon monitor. The measured value was (3.78 ± 0.39)×10-8 m2/s and found independent of the radon gas concentration in source chamber. The radon permeability of concrete varied between 1.85×10-17 to 1.36×10-15 m2 for the bulk pressure difference fewer than 20Pa to 73.3kPa. From the measured diffusion coefficient and absolute permeability, the radon flux from the concrete surface having concentrations gradient 12-40 kBq/m3 and typical floor thickness 0.1 m was calculated by the application of Fick and Darcy laws. Using the measured flux attributable to diffusive and advective transport, the indoor radon concentration for a typical Indian model room having dimension (5×6×7) m3 was calculated under average room ventilation (0.63 h-1). The results showed that the contribution of diffusive transport through intact concrete is dominant over the advective transport, as expected from the low values of concrete permeability.

Follow-up study of indoor radon in Greek buildings

The Nuclear Technology Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (NTL-AUTh) and the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) have a continuous collaboration on indoor radon measurements in Greek buildings since 1999. In the present work, the existing database was enriched with 590 indoor radon measurements in 295 houses and 76 indoor radon measurements in 38 workplaces. In total in the present work, 1948 indoor radon measurements in 974 buildings performed by the NTL-AUTh and GAEC from 1999 to 2012 in 8 of the 13 administrative regions of Greece are presented and discussed.

A study of indoor radon in greenhouses in Mexico City, Mexico

Enclosed spaces in contact with soil, the main source of radon, like greenhouses have potentially high radon (222Rn) concentrations. Greenhouses are frequented by visitors and also are workplaces. The study of radon concentrations in greenhouses is, thus, a relevant concern for public health and environmental radiation authorities. For this study, the radon concentrations in 12 greenhouses in different locations within Mexico City were measured using nuclear track methodology. The detectors used for the study consisted of the well-known closed-end cup device, with CR-39 Lantrack® as detector material. The measurements were carried out over a period of one year, divided into four three-month sub-periods. The lowest and highest annual mean radon concentrations found in individual greenhouses were 17.0 and 45.1 Bq/m3, respectively. The annual mean averaged over all 12 greenhouses was 27.3 Bq/m3. No significant seasonal variation was observed. Using the highest annual mean radon concentration found in an individual greenhouse, and an equilibrium factor of 0.4, the effective dose from 222Rn and its progenies was calculated to be 339.9 nSv/h. This corresponds to an annual dose rate of 679.8 μSv/y (0.057 WLM/y) for a worker spending 4 h a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year, inside the greenhouse. For a visitor spending 12 h a year inside the greenhouse the annual dose is 2.469 μSv/y. The study of indoor radon concentrations in closed buildings such as greenhouses, which are both workplaces and open to visitors, is an important public health consideration.

Measurement of indoor radon concentration in the dwellings of Western Haryana, India, for health risk assessment

Indoor radon studies have been carried out in 100 dwellings of 20 villages in western districts of Haryana, India, using the solid-state nuclear track detector technique. LR-115 Type II films in the bare mode were exposed for 1 year on a quarterly basis to cover all the four seasons for the measurement of indoor radon levels. The annual average indoor radon concentration in the study area varies from 126 to 546 Bq∙m −3 , with an average value of 252 Bq∙m −3 . Seasonal variation of indoor radon shows higher values in winter and lower values in summer. Lifetime fatality risk assessment and annual average dose received by the residents of the study area are also calculated to be within the recommended safe limit of 3–10 mSv per year. Hence, there is no significant threat to the residents due to presence of natural radon in the dwellings.

The study of indoor radon in the urban dwellings using plastic track detectors

Radon and its progeny have been recognized as one of the major contributors to the natural radiation and health hazards in the human dwellings. Even lung cancer is expected if it is present in enhanced levels beyond maximum permissible limit. This paper reports the measurements of indoor radon and its progeny in the urban dwellings of the Etah district of Uttar Pradesh province in Northern India using the cellulose nitrate (LR-115 type-II) plastic track detectors. It is found that the values of radon concentration vary from 3.52 to 248.64 Bq m−3 with a standard deviation of 69.19. The values of radon progeny concentration vary from 0.38 to 26.88 mWL with a standard deviation of 7.48. The effective dose has been calculated and found to vary from 0.05 to 3.76 mSv year−1 with a standard deviation of 1.05. The lifetime fatality risk is found to vary from 0.04 × 10−4 to 2.90 × 10−4. The results have been compared with the results reported in the rural areas of the same district.

Passive integrating radon studies for environmental monitoring in Sirsa district, Haryana, India using solid state nuclear track detectors

Indoor radon studies have been carried out in the environs of some areas of Sirsa district, Haryana, India using LR-115 type II plastic track detectors. LR-115 Type II films in the bare mode were exposed for one year on three month basis to cover all seasons for the measurement of indoor radon levels. The work has been undertaken for health risk assessment. The average radon concentration in dwellings in most of the villages falls in the action level (200–600 Bq m−3) recommended by International Commission on Radiological Protection. The radon values in some of the dwellings exceed the action level and may be unsafe from the health hazard point of view. The variation due to the ventilation conditions and contribution of building materials to the indoor radon in dwellings are also discussed. The positive values of winter-summer ratio of radon concentration also confirm that level of radon concentration is high in winters as compared to the summers.

Study of indoor radon and thoron progeny levels in surrounding areas of Nalbari, Assam, India

With the growing understanding of the role of radon and its daughter products as major sources of radiation exposure, the importance of large number of estimation of radon concentration in various parts of the country is realized. Inhalation of radon, thoron and their decay products is the major source of the total radioactive dose received by the human population from natural radiation. The indoor radon and thoron progeny levels in Nalbari area of Assam are studied by using the LR-115 (type II) Solid State Nuclear Track Detector in Plastic Twin Chamber dosimeter. Radon and thoron progeny levels in different types of dwellings for one full calendar year are presented in this paper. For Assam Type (A.T.) houses, indoor radon progeny concentrations vary from 0.17 to 0.64 mWL with an annual geometric mean of 0.27 mWL and that for Reinforced Cement Concrete (R.C.C.) houses vary from 0.22 mWL to 0.60 mWL with the annual geometric mean of 0.37 mWL. The thoron progeny levels in A.T. houses also vary from 0.01 to of 0.05 mWL with an annual geometric mean of 0.02 mWL and that for R.C.C. houses vary from 0.02 to 0.08 mWL with the annual geometric mean of 0.04 mWL.