Correlation of soil radon and uranium with indoor radon in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area

Journal Article · · Environmental Geology and Water Sciences; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01701701· OSTI ID:5405750

Brookins, D G ^[1]

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1. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque (United States)

High indoor radon in approximately 30% of private dwellings in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area has been reported previously. The present study explains the areas of high indoor radon as a function of different soil and/or bedrock in the area. Soils were sampled during summer and winter periods using alpha track radon detectors. The values range from 40 to 890 pCi/l air at a depth of 38 cm. The gross mean average is 360 pCi/l for the area for summer readings and 200 pCi/l for winter readings; both values are well over the average US soil radon values of approximately 100 pCi/l. Analyses of soil uranium show a range in values of 1-6 ppm, with a mean of 3.1 ppm. Thorium values range from 3.3 to 28.8 ppm, and Th/U ratios range from 2.9 to 4.6. These values for U, Th, and Th/U suggest that soil U and Th are close to the values reported for the Sandia granite, the source of most of the pediment on which Albuquerque is built. Soil infiltration rates range from {approximately}6 {times} 10{sup {minus}4} to 4.5 {times} 10{sup {minus}3} cm/sec for the samples, and soil moisture content ranges from 1.4 to 7.2%. A fair correlation of summer soil radon with infiltration rate is noted. Correlation of soil radon with moisture content and/or with percent silt, silt + clay, clay size fraction material is not established by this study. Soil radon values do correlate with regions in the Albuquerque area where high indoor radon values with soils developed immediately over bedrock is observed. Furthermore, all values of average soil and indoor radon increase significantly with proximity of the stations to the Sandia Mountains. Soil uranium also shows this trend. The data argue that regions of potentially high radon can thus be identified.

• OSTI ID: 5405750
• Journal Information: Environmental Geology and Water Sciences; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Geology and Water Sciences; (United States) Vol. 17:3; ISSN 0177-5146; ISSN EGWSE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACTINIDES
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
AIR POLLUTION
BUILDINGS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMISTRY
DELAYED NEUTRON ANALYSIS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION VI
FLUIDS
GASES
GRANITES
HOUSES
IGNEOUS ROCKS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
METALS
NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY
NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
NEW MEXICO
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR REACTION ANALYSIS
PLUTONIC ROCKS
POLLUTION
RADIOACTIVITY
RADON
RARE GASES
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
ROCKS
SAMPLING
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOILS
THORIUM
URANIUM
USA