The Determination of Radon/Thoron Exhalation Rate in an Underground Coal Mine-Preliminary Results

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 16;19(10):6038. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19106038.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to perform a series of measurements of radon and thoron exhalation in the underground workings of an experimental coal mine. In the years 2012-2015, experiments on underground coal gasification were carried out in a coal mine, which caused, among other effects, damage to rock mass. Afterward, periodic increases in the concentration of potential alpha energy (PAEC) of radon decay products in the air were found, which could pose a hazard to miners. The question posed was whether the gasification experiment resulted in the increased migration of radon and thoron. If so, did it increase the radiation hazard to miners? The adaptation of the existing instrumentation to the specific conditions was conducted, and a series of measurements were made. It was found that the measured values of radon and thoron exhalation rates ranged from 3.0 up to 38 Bq·m-2·h-1 for radon and from 500 up to 2000 Bq·m-2·h-1 for thoron.

Keywords: exhalation; radon; thoron; underground coal mine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants, Radioactive* / analysis
  • Coal
  • Exhalation
  • Radiation Monitoring* / methods
  • Radon* / analysis

Substances

  • Air Pollutants, Radioactive
  • Coal
  • Radon

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science within the statutory activity in the year 2021 of the Central Mining Institute, contract number 11353011.