Long-term determination of airborne radon progeny concentrations using LR 115 detectors and the effects of thoron

Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2010 Oct;141(4):404-7. doi: 10.1093/rpd/ncq255. Epub 2010 Sep 10.

Abstract

The 'proxy equilibrium factor' (F(p)) method has been developed for long-term determination of airborne radon progeny concentrations using LR 115 solid-state nuclear track detectors. In this paper, the effects of (220)Rn on the F(p) method have been studied. The correction to the track density was related to a parameter α which was the ratio of the sum of activity concentrations of alpha-particle emitting radionuclides in the (220)Rn decay chain to the activity concentration of (220)Rn alone. Under commonly encountered circumstances, α could not be smaller than 2. An attempt was made to verify this using the exposure chamber at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), Chiba, Japan. A most interesting observation of α < 2 for very high (220)Rn concentrations and very low equilibrium factors for (220)Rn in the exposure chambers was made. A possible explanation was the substantial deposition of (216)Po under the extreme conditions inside the exposure chambers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants, Radioactive
  • Air Pollution, Indoor / analysis*
  • Algorithms
  • Alpha Particles
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Gases
  • Housing
  • Japan
  • Models, Statistical
  • Polonium / analysis
  • Radiation Monitoring / instrumentation*
  • Radiometry
  • Radon / analysis*
  • Radon Daughters / analysis*
  • Risk

Substances

  • Air Pollutants, Radioactive
  • Gases
  • Radon Daughters
  • Polonium
  • Radon