ASSESSMENT OF INHALATION DOSE FROM THE INDOOR 222Rn AND 220Rn USING RAD7 AND PINHOLE CUP DOSEMETERS

Radon is the most important source of natural radiation and is responsible for approximately half of the received dose from all sources. Most of this dose is from inhalation of the radon progeny, especially in closed atmospheres. Concentration of radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) in the different villages of Jalandhar and Kapurthala district of Punjab has been calculated by pinhole cup dosemeters and RAD7. On an average, it has been observed from the study that the values of all the parameters calculated are higher in case of active monitoring than the passive monitoring. The calculated equilibrium equivalent 222Rn concentration (EECRn) and equilibrium equivalent 220Rn concentration (EECTh) fluctuate in the range from 5.58 to 34.29 and from 0.35 to 2.7 Bq m–3 as estimated by active technique, respectively. Similarly, the observed mean value of the potential alpha energy concentration of 222Rn (PAECRn) and 220Rn (PAECTh) is 4.55 and 4.34 mWL, respectively. The dose rate to the soft tissues and lung from indoor 222Rn varies from 0.06 to 0.38 and from 0.50 to 3.05 nGy h–1, respectively. The total annual effective dose for the residents of the study area is less than 10 mSv.

Source: Radiation Protection Dosimetry - October 27, 2016 Category: Radiology Authors: Mehra, R., Jakhu, R., Bangotra, P., Kaur, K., Mittal, H. M. Tags: Paper Source Type: research