Indoor /sup 222/Rn measurements in Sweden with the solid-state nuclear track detector technique

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Health Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-198803000-00003· OSTI ID:5212332

Joensson, G

Measurements of the indoor radon and radon daughter concentrations were performed in several thousand Swedish houses during the years 1979-1984 with the solid state nuclear track detector technique (SSNTD technique). The investigation focused on structures containing building materials of light-weight concrete with enhanced amounts of U. The detectors used nuclear track films exposed for 1 mo. The film basically measures total airborne alpha activity but may be calibrated in units of EER in an environment with known /sup 222/Rn and daughter concentrations. (EER is here the equilibrium equivalent concentration of Rn with the equilibrium factor F = 0.5.) The investigation was performed in various municipalities in collaboration with the local public health and environmental authorities. The investigation included 6700 individual measurements in detached (single-family) houses as well as in apartment houses. A small percentage of the dwellings exhibited Rn daughter concentrations (EER) exceeding 400 Bq m-3. It was found in detached houses that the concentrations were higher in the basement floor than in the entrance floor of a house. The Rn daughter values in the bedrooms were similar to values in any other room (mainly on the same floor) of the structure. The Rn daughter levels in apartment houses were lower than in single-family houses. The seasonal variations of the Rn daughter levels are presented and show that the levels in summertime are approximately equal to the levels in the winter.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Lund (Sweden)
• OSTI ID: 5212332
• Journal Information: Health Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: Health Phys.; (United States) Vol. 54:3; ISSN HLTPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
APARTMENT BUILDINGS
BISMUTH
BUILDINGS
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
EUROPE
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOUSES
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
ISOTOPES
LEAD
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
MONITORING
NUCLEI
POLLUTION
POLONIUM
PUBLIC BUILDINGS
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADON 222
RADON ISOTOPES
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
SCANDINAVIA
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SWEDEN
VARIATIONS
WESTERN EUROPE