Study of variation of 222 Rn/ 220 Rn and their progeny concentration in dwellings using single entry pin hole-based diffusion chambers

Abstract

In the present study, newly designed single entry pin hole-based diffusion chambers were used for the first time in a study region to estimate exact ²²²Rn and ²²⁰Rn concentration. These diffusion chambers are independent of high turbulent environmental conditions as well as with same entry rate of ²²²Rn and ²²⁰Rn. The device was calibrated at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai following the standard procedures to correlate the number of tracks registered in the LR-115 detector placed in the two chambers to the ²²²Rn and ²²⁰Rn concentrations in the environment. The average values of ²²²Rn and ²²⁰Rn concentration in the indoor environments were 28.76 ± 13 Bqm⁻³ and 63.08 ± 17.27 Bqm⁻³, respectively. The values were within the recommended level of ICRP, 2010 (200–300 Bqm⁻³). The observed data has provided a good correlation (R²= 0.8618) between ²²²Rn and ²²⁰Rn concentrations in the studied area. A linearity relationship was established between PAEC (²²⁰Rn) and {PAEC (²²²Rn)}^0.4 with R²= 0.9047. These data will provide a good database for ²²²Rn and ²²⁰Rn mapping in India.

Keywords

PAEC Progeny Pin hole cup dosimeter

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

UNSCEAR, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. Ionizing radiation: exposure due to natural radiation sources, New York: United Nations, 2000.

Choubey

Sharma

Ramola

. Geology of radon occurrence around Jari in Parvati valley Himachal Pradesh, India. J Environ Radioactivity 1997; 34: 139–147.

Choubey

Bist

Saini

Ramola

. Relation between soil gas radon variation and different lithotectonic units, Garhwal Himalaya, India. J Appl Radiat Iso 1999; 51: 587–592.

Gundersen LCS, Schumann RR, Otton JK, Dubiel RF and Owen DE. Geology of radon in United States. In: Gates AE and Gundersen LCS (eds), Geological control of radon. Special Paper No. 271, Boulder, Colorado: Geological Society of America 1992, pp.1–16.

Fleischer

Mogro-Campero

. Mapping of integrated radon emanation for detection of long-distance migration of gases within the earth: techniques and principles. J Geophys Res 1978; 83: 3539–3549.

Atkinson

. A fracture mechanics study of subcritical tensile cracking of quartz in wet environment. Pure Appl Geophys 1979; 117: 1011–1023.

Ramola

Singh

Virk

. Radon studies over main boundary thrust near Dehradun India. Nucl Tracks Radiat Meas 1988; 15: 617–619.

Doi

Kobayashi

. The passive radon-thoron discriminative dosimeter for practical use’. Hoken Butsuri 1994; 29: 155–166.

Steinhausler

Hoffman

Lettner

. Thoron exposure to man: a negligible issue’. Radiat Protect Dosimetry 1994; 56: 1–44.

10.

Stranden

Berteig

Ugletveit

. A study on radon in dwellings. Health Phys 1979; 36: 413–421.

11.

Ramachandran

Lalit

Mishra

. Measurement of radon and thoron present in the environment using nuclear track etch technique. Nucl Track Radiat Meas 1986; 11: 245–249.

12.

Nikezic

Baixeras

. Analysis of sensitivity of LR115 in cylindrical diffusion chambers for radon concentration determination. Nucl Instrum Meth Phys Res A 1995; 364: 531–536.

13.

Nikezic

Stevanovic

. Behavior of ²²⁰Rn progeny in diffusion chamber. Nucl Instrum Meth Phys Res A 2007; 570: 182–186.

14.

Eappen

Mayya

. Calibration factors for LR-115 (Type-II) based radon thoron discriminating dosimeter. Radiat Meas 2004; 38: 5–17.

15.

Tokonami

Takahashi

Kobayashi

Zhuo

Hulber

. Up-to-date radon-thoron discriminative detector for a large scale survey. Rev Sci Instrum 2005; 76: 113505–113509.

16.

Sciocchetti

Giovannoli

DeFelice

Cardellini

Cotellessa

Pagliari

. A new passive radonethoron discriminative measurement system. Radiat Protect Dosim 2010; 141: 462–467.

17.

Sahoo

. A new pin-hole discriminated 222Rn/220Rn passive measurement device with single entry face. Radiat Meas 2013; 58: 52–60.

18.

UNSCEAR. Effects and risks of ionizing radiations, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, New York: United Nations, 2000.

19.

ICRP. Lung cancer risk from radon and progeny and statement on radon. Ann ICRP 2010; 40(1) (ICRP Pub., 115).

20.

Mehra

Singh

. A study uranium, radium, radon exhalation rate and indoor radon in the environs of some areas of the Malwa Region, Punjab, India. Indoor Built Environ 2006; 15: 499–505.

21.

Singh

Mehra

Singh

. Seasonal variation of indoor radon in dwellings of Malwa region, Punjab. Atmos Environ 2005; 39: 7761–7767.

22.

Mehra

Singh

Kansal

. Passive integrating radon studies for environmental monitoring in Sirsa district, Haryana, India using solid state nuclear track detectors. Indian J Phys 2009; 83: 1191–1196.

23.

Mc Laughlin

. Aspect of radon and its decay products in indoor air. In: Proceedings of the international workshop on radon monitoring in radioprotection, environmental radioactivity and earth sciences, ICTP, Trieste, Italy, 3–14 April 1989, pp. 51–69.

24.

Stranden

Thoron daughter to radon daughter ratio in mines. In: Stocker

(ed). Occupational radiation safety in mining, Toronto: Canadian Nuclear Association, 1985, pp. 604–606.

25.

Dixon

James

Strong

Wrixon

A review of all sources of exposure to natural radiation in UK mines. In: Stocker

(ed). Radiation safety in mining, Toronto: Canadian Nuclear Association, 1985, pp. 241–247.

26.

Rannou A. Contribution a letude du risqué le a la presence du radon²²² et du radon 220 das l’atmosphere des habitation, Rapp. 1987; CEA-R – 5378, Commissariat a lenergie Atomic, Saclay, France.