Biomaterial Database

An evaluation of unattached radon (and thoron) daughter measurement techniques. 1982

A W Van Der Vooren, and A Busigin, and C R Phillips

The collection efficiencies of parallel plate, inertial impactor and wire screen devices reported in the literature for measurement of the unattached fraction of radon (or thoron) daughters are calculated for collection of the attached fraction of the aerosol, using real uranium mine aerosol activity-size distributions. The attached activity collection efficiencies may be as much as 4.3%, which, given the typically low values of the unattached fraction (a few per cent), results in a very substantial error in the measurement of the latter. Published unattached fraction measurements in the environment may therefore be high and should be interpreted with care.

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.
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)
D001729	Bismuth	A metallic element that has the atomic symbol Bi, and atomic number 83. Its principal isotope is Bismuth 209.
D000396	Air Pollutants, Radioactive	Pollutants present in air which exhibit radioactivity.	Radioactive Air Pollutants,Pollutants, Radioactive Air
D013223	Statistics as Topic	Works about the science and art of collecting, summarizing, and analyzing data that are subject to random variation.	Area Analysis,Estimation Technics,Estimation Techniques,Indirect Estimation Technics,Indirect Estimation Techniques,Multiple Classification Analysis,Service Statistics,Statistical Study,Statistics, Service,Tables and Charts as Topic,Analyses, Area,Analyses, Multiple Classification,Area Analyses,Classification Analyses, Multiple,Classification Analysis, Multiple,Estimation Technic, Indirect,Estimation Technics, Indirect,Estimation Technique,Estimation Technique, Indirect,Estimation Techniques, Indirect,Indirect Estimation Technic,Indirect Estimation Technique,Multiple Classification Analyses,Statistical Studies,Studies, Statistical,Study, Statistical,Technic, Indirect Estimation,Technics, Estimation,Technics, Indirect Estimation,Technique, Estimation,Technique, Indirect Estimation,Techniques, Estimation,Techniques, Indirect Estimation
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