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Development of an electret passive environmental radon monitor: Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6554286

The electret passive environmental radon monitor (E-PERM) is an extension of electret dosimeters developed for the measurement of x and gamma radiation. It simply consists of a small cup containing an electret at the bottom and a filtered inlet at the top. Radon entering through the filter causes ionization inside the cup, and the ions are collected by the electret. The reduction of charge (surface potential) on the electret is a measure of integrated radon exposure. Based on a study of random error sources, the overall accuracy of the E-PERMs developed is estimated to be +-9%. Some of the errors involved can be reduced substantially. The surface voltage of electrets made from FEP teflon was shown to be very stable even under extreme environmental conditions of temperature and relative humidity. Using an alpha source to simulate a high concentration of radon, E-PERM response was shown to be humidity independent over the operating range. A preliminary cost analysis indicates that both the production cost and reuse cost of E-PERMs may approximate $3.00 plus overhead.

Research Organization:
Plastic Casting, Inc., Olean, NY (USA)
OSTI ID:
6554286
Report Number(s):
NYSERDA-86-13; ON: DE87900661
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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