Seasonal variation of indoor radon concentration in dwellings of Alexandria city, Egypt. 2011

M Abd El-Zaher
Department of Basic and Applied Science, Faculty of Engineering, Arab Academy for Science & Technology, Alexandria, Egypt. mohamed.zaher@aast.edu

Inhalation of radon ((222)Rn) and daughter products are a major source of natural radiation exposure. Keeping this in view, seasonal indoor radon measurement studies have been carried out in 68 dwellings belonging to 17 residential areas in Alexandria city, Egypt. LR-115 Type 2 films were exposed for four seasons of 3 months each covering a period of 1 y for the measurement of indoor radon levels. Assuming an indoor occupancy factor of 0.8 and a factor of 0.4 for the equilibrium factor of radon indoors, it was found that the estimated annual average indoor radon concentration in the houses surveyed ranged from 45 ± 8 to 90 ± 13 Bq m(-3) with an overall average value of 65 ± 10 Bq m(-3). The observed annual average values are greater than the world average of 40 Bq m(-3). Seasonal variation of indoor radon shows that maximum radon concentrations were observed in the winter season, whereas minimum levels were observed in the summer season. The season/annual ratios for different type of dwellings varied from 1.54 to 2.50. The mean annual estimated effective dose received by the residents of the studied area was estimated to be 1.10 mSv. The annual estimated effective dose is less than the recommended action level (3-10 mSv y(-1)).

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011829 Radiation Dosage The amount of radiation energy that is deposited in a unit mass of material, such as tissues of plants or animal. In RADIOTHERAPY, radiation dosage is expressed in gray units (Gy). In RADIOLOGIC HEALTH, the dosage is expressed by the product of absorbed dose (Gy) and quality factor (a function of linear energy transfer), and is called radiation dose equivalent in sievert units (Sv). Sievert Units,Dosage, Radiation,Gray Units,Gy Radiation,Sv Radiation Dose Equivalent,Dosages, Radiation,Radiation Dosages,Units, Gray,Units, Sievert
D011834 Radiation Monitoring The observation, either continuously or at intervals, of the levels of radiation in a given area, generally for the purpose of assuring that they have not exceeded prescribed amounts or, in case of radiation already present in the area, assuring that the levels have returned to those meeting acceptable safety standards. Monitoring, Radiation
D011886 Radon A naturally radioactive element with atomic symbol Rn, and atomic number 86. It is a member of the noble gas family found in soil, and is released during the decay of RADIUM. Actinon,Thoron (Element)
D004534 Egypt A country in northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula Its capital is Cairo. Arab Republic of Egypt,United Arab Republic
D000398 Air Pollution, Radioactive Contamination of air with radioactive substances. Radioactive Air Pollution,Pollution, Radioactive Air
D012621 Seasons Divisions of the year according to some regularly recurrent phenomena usually astronomical or climatic. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed) Seasonal Variation,Season,Seasonal Variations,Variation, Seasonal,Variations, Seasonal
D016902 Air Pollution, Indoor The contamination of indoor air. Air Quality, Indoor,Indoor Air Pollution,Indoor Air Quality,Pollution, Indoor Air

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