Population dose due to natural radiation in Hong Kong

Journal Article · Mon May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2000 · Health Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-200005000-00013· OSTI ID:20075784

Tso, M Y.W.; Leung, J K.C.

In densely populated cities such as Hong Kong where people live and work in high-rise buildings that are all built with concrete, the indoor gamma dose rate and indoor radon concentration are not wide ranging. Indoor gamma dose rates (including cosmic rays) follow a normal distribution with an arithmetic mean of 0.22 {+-} 0.04 {micro}Gy h{sup {minus}1}, whereas indoor radon concentrations follow a log-normal distribution with geometric means of 48 {+-} 1 Bq m{sup {minus}3} and 90 {+-} 2 Bq m{sup {minus}3} for the two main categories of buildings: residential and non-residential. Since different occupations result in different occupancy in different categories of buildings, the annual total dose [indoor and outdoor radon effective dose + indoor and outdoor gamma absorbed dose (including cosmic ray)] to the population in Hong Kong was estimated based on the number of people for each occupation; the occupancy of each occupation; indoor radon concentration distribution and indoor gamma dose rate distribution for each category of buildings; outdoor radon concentration and gamma dose rate; and indoor and outdoor cosmic ray dose rates. The result shows that the annual doses for every occupation follow a log-normal distribution. This is expected since the total dose is dominated by radon effective dose, which has a log-normal distribution. The annual dose to the population of Hong Kong is characterized by a log-normal distribution with a geometric mean of 2.4 mSv and a geometric standard deviation of 1.3 mSv.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Hong Kong (HK)
• OSTI ID: 20075784
• Journal Information: Health Physics, Journal Name: Health Physics Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 78; ISSN HLTPAO; ISSN 0017-9078
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
BUILDINGS
HONG KONG
INDOOR AIR CONTAMINATION
NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION MONITORING
RADON