Radon-222 and its short-lived decay products in attached and free-ion forms in the atmosphere

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/24.1-4.221· OSTI ID:6322496

Wilkening, M.; McNamee, E.

The short-lived radionuclides in the radon decay series account for a major part of the integral dose under normal conditions. While most of this comes from atoms attached to aerosols, a significant component is due to decay products in the form of positive ions. In this study the average indoor /sup 222/Rn level of 32 Bq m/sup /minus/3/ yielded an activity of about 2 Bq m/sup /minus/3/ from the positively charged ions. Out of a total potential alpha-energy concentration of 7.1 /times/ 10/sup /minus/8/ J m/sup /minus/3/, the positive decay-product ions accounted for two percent. The nuclides of the radon decay series are the chief ionizing agents in the lower atmosphere. The mean indoor /sup 222/Rn level in this work produces about 20 /times/ 10/sup 6/ ion pairs m/sup /minus/3/ s/sup /minus/1/. This is sufficient to yield positive and negative ion densities in the air of 130 /times/ 10/sup 6/ m/sup /minus/3/ and conductivity values of about 4 /times/ 10/sup /minus/14/ (ohm - m)/sup /minus/1/. The /sup 222/Rn positive ions make up only about 7 ppM of the total positive ions present. Corrections among the measured quantities are given which aid in the understanding of /sup 222/Rn daughters in indoor air. 12 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: New Mexico Inst. of Mining and Technology, Socorro (USA). Dept. of Physics
• DOE Contract Number: FG04-88ER60662; FG04-86ER60432
• OSTI ID: 6322496
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/60662-7; CONF-871208-4; ON: DE89009375
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560151 -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Man
560161* -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANIONS
CATIONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
COLLOIDS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISPERSIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INTERNAL IRRADIATION
IONS
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
POLLUTION
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADON 222
RADON ISOTOPES
SOLS