Indoor 222Rn measurements in Sweden with the solid-state nuclear track detector technique. 1988

G Jönsson
Department of Physics, University of Lund, Sweden.

Measurements of the indoor radon and radon daughter concentrations were performed in several thousand Swedish houses during the years 1979-1984 with the solid state nuclear track detector technique (SSNTD technique). The investigation focused on structures containing building materials of light-weight concrete with enhanced amounts of U. The detectors used nuclear track films exposed for 1 mo. The film basically measures total airborne alpha activity but may be calibrated in units of EER in an environment with known 222Rn and daughter concentrations. (EER is here the equilibrium equivalent concentration of Rn with the equilibrium factor F = 0.5.) The investigation was performed in various municipalities in collaboration with the local public health and environmental authorities. The investigation included 6700 individual measurements in detached (single-family) houses as well as in apartment houses. A small percentage of the dwellings exhibited Rn daughter concentrations (EER) exceeding 400 Bq m-3. It was found in detached houses that the concentrations were higher in the basement floor than in the entrance floor of a house. The Rn daughter values in the bedrooms were similar to values in any other room (mainly on the same floor) of the structure. The Rn daughter levels in apartment houses were lower than in single-family houses. The seasonal variations of the Rn daughter levels are presented and show that the levels in summertime are approximately equal to the levels in the winter.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007854 Lead A soft, grayish metal with poisonous salts; atomic number 82, atomic weight 207.2, symbol Pb.
D011059 Polonium A radioactive element that is a member of the chalcogen family. It has the atomic symbol Po, atomic number 84, and the atomic weight of the isotope with the longest half-life (209Po) is 208.98. It decays by alpha-emission.
D011874 Radiometry The measurement of radiation by photography, as in x-ray film and film badge, by Geiger-Mueller tube, and by SCINTILLATION COUNTING. Geiger-Mueller Counters,Nuclear Track Detection,Radiation Dosimetry,Dosimetry, Radiation,Geiger Counter,Geiger-Mueller Counter Tube,Geiger-Mueller Probe,Geiger-Mueller Tube,Radiation Counter,Counter Tube, Geiger-Mueller,Counter Tubes, Geiger-Mueller,Counter, Geiger,Counter, Radiation,Counters, Geiger,Counters, Geiger-Mueller,Counters, Radiation,Detection, Nuclear Track,Dosimetries, Radiation,Geiger Counters,Geiger Mueller Counter Tube,Geiger Mueller Counters,Geiger Mueller Probe,Geiger Mueller Tube,Geiger-Mueller Counter Tubes,Geiger-Mueller Probes,Geiger-Mueller Tubes,Probe, Geiger-Mueller,Probes, Geiger-Mueller,Radiation Counters,Radiation Dosimetries,Tube, Geiger-Mueller,Tube, Geiger-Mueller Counter,Tubes, Geiger-Mueller,Tubes, Geiger-Mueller Counter
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)
D001729 Bismuth A metallic element that has the atomic symbol Bi, and atomic number 83. Its principal isotope is Bismuth 209.
D006798 Housing Living facilities for humans. Family-Patient Lodging,Patient-Family Lodging,Family Patient Lodging,Family-Patient Lodgings,Lodging, Family-Patient,Lodging, Patient-Family,Lodgings, Family-Patient,Lodgings, Patient-Family,Patient Family Lodging,Patient-Family Lodgings
D013548 Sweden Country in northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Finland and Norway. The capital is Stockholm.
D017687 Radon Daughters Short-lived radioactive decay products of radon that include 216-Po, 214-Pb, 214-Bi, and 214-Po. They have an effective half-life of about 30 minutes and are solids that can deposit on the bronchial airways during inhalation and exhalation. This results in exposure of the respiratory airways to alpha radiation and can lead to diseases of the respiratory system, including lung cancer. (From Casarett and Doull's Toxicology, 4th ed, p740) Radon Daughter Nuclides,Radon Decay Products,Radon Progeny,Thoron Daughter Nuclides,Thoron Daughters,Thoron Decay Products,Thoron Progeny,Daughter Nuclides, Radon,Daughter Nuclides, Thoron,Daughters, Radon,Daughters, Thoron,Decay Products, Radon,Decay Products, Thoron

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