title: Reducing radon exhalation from covered tailings: optimization or cost effectiveness?
abstract: Reduction of radon exhalation from uranium tailings as a function of the number of radon diffusion lengths in cover materials is discussed, based on dimensionless mathematical functions. Cost effectiveness is examined to determine the least expensive cover with a preselected number of radon diffusion lengths (i.e., a preselected level of radiation protection), and to find the maximum attainable reduction in radon flux with a predetermined cost (i.e., a fixed amount of money). Cost effectiveness rather than optimization through cost benefit analysis can be used advantageously in these cases.
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D055585:Physical Phenomena; D010825:Physics; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000191:economics*; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis*; D014501:Uranium
chemical_list: D014501:Uranium; D011886:Radon