Identifying areas with potential for high indoor radon levels: analysis of the national airborne radiometric reconnaissance data for California and the Pacific Northwest
Radon-222 is an important indoor air pollutant which, through the inhalation of its radioactive decay products, accounts for nearly half of the effective dose equivalent to the public from natural ionizing radiation. Indoor radon concentrations vary widely, largely because of local and regional differences in the rate of entry from sources. The major sources are soil and rock near building foundations, earth-based building materials, and domestic water; of these, soil and rock are thought to be predominant in many buildings with higher-than-average concentrations. Thus, one key factor in determining radon source potential is the concentration of radium, the progenitor of radon, in surficial rocks and soils. Aerial radiometric data were analyzed, collected for the National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program, for seven Western states to: (1) provide information on the spatial distribution of radium contents in surficial geologic materials for those states; and (2) investigate approaches for using the aerial data, which have been collected throughout the contiguous United States and Alaska, to identify areas where high indoor radon levels may be common. Radium concentrations were found to be relatively low in central and western portions of Washington, Oregon, and northern California; they were found to be relatively high in central and southern California. A field validation study, conducted along two flight-line segments near Spokane, Washington, showed close correspondence between the aerial data, in situ measurements of both radium content and radon flux from soil, and laboratory measurements of both radium content of and radon emanation rate from soil samples. 99 references, 11 figures, 3 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 6474117
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-16955; ON: DE85000792
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
RADIUM 226
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADON 222
AERIAL MONITORING
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MAPS
RADIOMETRIC SURVEYS
ROCKS
SOILS
AIR POLLUTION
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DATA
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
MONITORING
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
POLLUTION
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RADON ISOTOPES
SURVEYS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
500300* - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)