Measurement of indoor radon levels in dwellings of Sirsa district, Haryana and estimation of average annual dose.
Indoor radon studies have been carried out in the environs of some areas of Sirsa district, Haryana, India using LR-115 type II plastic track detectors. LR-115 Type II films in the bare mode were exposed for one year on quarterly basis to cover all the four seasons for the measurement of indoor radon levels. The work has been undertaken for the health risk assessments. The annual average indoor radon value in the study area varies from 64 Bq m(-3) to 120 Bq m(-3) with an average value of 91 Bq m(-3). These values are 2 to 3 times more than the world average of 40 Bq m3. The average radon concentration in dwellings in most of the villages falls in the action level (200-600 Bq m3) recommended by International Commission on Radiological Protection. The radon values in some of the dwellings exceed the action level and may be unsafe from the health hazard point of view. The variation due to the ventilation conditions and contribution of building materials to the indoor radon in dwellings are also discussed.
Department of Physics, Dr. B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, India. rohit_mimit@rediffmail.com
Rohit
R
Mehra
Surinder
S
Singh
Sandeep
S
Kumar
D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D000398:Air Pollution, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005373:Film Dosimetry; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis*; D006798:Housing; D007194:India; D011886:Radon / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis*
D015386:Hazardous Substances; D011886:Radon