Vertical distribution of outdoor radon and thoron in Japan using a new discriminative dosimeter

Outdoor Radon as a Tool to Estimate Radon Priority Areas-A Literature Overview

Doses from the exposure to outdoor radon are typically an order of magnitude smaller than those from indoor radon, causing a greater interest on investigation of the latter for radiation protection issues. As a consequence, assessment of radon priority areas (RPA) is mainly based on indoor radon measurements. Outdoor radon measurements might be needed to guarantee a complete estimation of radiological risk and may help to improve the estimation of RPA. Therefore, authors have analysed the available literature on outdoor radon to give an overview of outdoor radon surveys and potential correlation with indoor radon and estimation of RPA. The review has shown that outdoor radon surveys were performed at much smaller scale compared to indoor radon. Only a few outdoor radon maps were produced, with a much smaller density, covering a larger area, and therefore putting doubt on the representativeness of this data. Due to a large variety of techniques used for outdoor radon measurements and requirement to have detectors with a high sensitivity and resistance to harsh environmental conditions, a standardised measurement protocol should be derived. This is no simple endeavour since there are more applications in different scientific disciplines for outdoor radon measurements compared to indoor radon.

Factors affecting atmospheric radon concentration, human health

We studied the influence of terrain, geology and weather condition on radon concentration in the atmosphere and occurrence of radon density currents. The survey was carried out in Kowary (SW Poland) and in the spoil tip formed during uranium mining. The measurements of radon concentration were performed using SSNTD LR-115. The measurements of uranium thorium and potassium content in soil were carried out using gamma ray spectrometer Exploranium RS-230. We noticed that terrain and stability of weather condition had significant impact on atmospheric radon concentration. The seasonal variations of radon concentrations in Kowary differ from those usually registered in temperate climate. Based on our analyses, the increase of radon concentration in winter and spring was caused by inversion occurring in that area during these seasons. The observed seasonal variations of radon concentrations in the spoil tip were consistent with those characteristic for temperate climate (the highest radon concentration registered in spring and summer and the lowest in winter and autumn). The spoil tip is located above 900m a.s.l. and is not cover by grass or trees. These circumstances promoted radon exhalation. The air movement above the spoil tip area is intensive, even in winter time. The average atmospheric radon concentration in the spoil tip was 318Bqm^-3. The performed research did not reveal occurrence of radon density currents and flow of radon from the spoil tip to lower lying areas in Kowary. We noticed interdependence of atmospheric radon concentration measured at the height of 1.5 above the ground and uranium content in soil and no correlation between thorium content and radon concentration. The lung cancer in residents of Kowary which is more common than in Poland can be associated with increased concentrations of radon. The average radon concentration in the atmosphere in Kowary was 79Bq m^-3.

Comparative analysis of radon, thoron and thoron progeny concentration measurements

This study examined correlations between radon, thoron and thoron progeny concentrations based on surveys conducted in several different countries. For this purpose, passive detectors developed or modified by the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) were used. Radon and thoron concentrations were measured using passive discriminative radon-thoron detectors. Thoron progeny measurements were conducted using the NIRS-modified detector, originally developed by Zhuo and Iida. Weak correlations were found between radon and thoron as well as between thoron and thoron progeny. The statistical evaluation showed that attention should be paid to the thoron equilibrium factor for calculation of thoron progeny concentrations based on thoron measurements. In addition, this evaluation indicated that radon, thoron and thoron progeny were independent parameters, so it would be difficult to estimate the concentration of one from those of the others.

Observations and modelling of thoron and its progeny in the soil-atmosphere-plant system

Samples of pasture vegetation, mainly Trifolium pratensis, were collected at the Botanic Garden of the University of Bologna during the period 1998-2000 and measured by gamma-spectrometry for determining thoron progeny. Concentrations of (212)Pb were between 1.5 and 20 Bq m(-2), with individual peaks up to 70 Bq m(-2). Soil samples were collected at the same location and physically characterised. Their chemical composition (particularly Th and U) was determined by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Lead-212 on plants mainly originates from dry and wet deposition of this isotope generated in the lower atmosphere by the decay of its short-lived precursor (220)Rn, which is produced in the upper soil layers as a member of the natural thorium decay chain and exhales into the atmosphere. Concentrations of (220)Rn in the atmosphere depend on (1) the amount of Th present in soil, (2) the radon fraction which escapes from the soil minerals into the soil pore space, (3) its transport into the atmosphere, and (4) its redistribution within the atmosphere. The mobility of radon in soil pore space can vary by orders of magnitude depending on the soil water content, thus being the main factor for varying concentrations of (220)Rn and (212)Pb in the atmosphere. We present a simple model to predict concentrations of thoron in air and its progeny deposited from the atmosphere, which takes into account varying soil moisture contents calculated by the OPUS code. Results of this model show close agreement with our observations.

The measurements of thoron, radon and their decay products thanks to Pinocchio, Tengu and Trolls

In the present paper, the long noses of Pinocchio, Tengu and Trolls are used to measure, respectively, radon, thoron, and their decay products both by track-etch detectors and by Geiger-Müller (G-M) counters. Just recently, four new passive samplers (termed quatrefoil) have been developed which greatly simplify the detection of all airborne radionuclides by using either passive or real-time detectors. In particular, surface-deposited radon (thoron) decay products are sampled by films with large area and small surface density (0.1-1 mg cm(-2)). Once exposed, these films are stacked together for their detection by a pancake G-M counter. For the measurements of radon and thoron in soil, 25-cm-long tubes with sampling films along their internal surfaces can be successfully used. Once exposed, these films can be counted by a pancake G-M for the selective measurement of radon and thoron.

Atmospheric radon in Hong Kong

For the first time in Hong Kong, atmospheric radon concentration was continuously monitored between November 2007 and October 2008. This paper presents the results obtained during the 12-month period. The annual mean atmospheric radon concentration in Hong Kong was found to be 9.3 Bqm(-3) which was close to the level at neighbouring places like Guangdong and Taiwan. An estimation of the dose arising from atmospheric radon to the Hong Kong population was made. The meteorological effects on the variation of atmospheric radon concentration were discussed. It was found that the origin of the airmass and stability of the local atmosphere played vital roles in the seasonal and diurnal variations respectively, whereas precipitation caused abrupt changes in rainy days. An attempt was also made to find out the contribution of atmospheric radon to the ambient gamma dose rate.

Temporal variation of 212Pb concentration in outdoor air of Milan and a comparison with 214Bi

Continuous measurement of hourly concentrations of 212Pb attached to aerosol particles was carried out during the whole year 2000 in the outdoor air of Milan (Italy). An improved experimental method based on on-line alpha spectroscopy during atmospheric particulate matter sampling allowed the contemporary determination of 212Pb and 214Bi through the deconvolution of the alpha energy spectral distribution analysis. The 212Pb hourly concentrations were about 100 times lower than 214Bi but showed a similar characteristic diurnal time trend. However, the influence of meteorological parameters such as rain and wind was more evident in 212Pb than in 214Bi concentrations. The 212Pb average annual concentration was 0.090 +/- 0.060 Bq/m3 with daily mean concentration varying from 0.013 to 0.333 Bq/m3.