title: Indoor inhalation dose estimates due to radon and thoron in some areas of South-Western Punjab, India.
abstract: LR-115 (type II)-based radon-thoron discriminating twin-chamber dosemeters have been used for estimating radon ((222)Rn) and thoron ((220)Rn) concentrations in dwellings of south-western Punjab, India. The present study region has shown pronounced cases of cancer incidents in the public [Thakur, Rao, Rajwanshi, Parwana and Kumar (Epidemiological study of high cancer among rural agricultural community of Punjab in Northern India. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2008; 5(5):399-407) and Kumar et al. (Risk assessment for natural uranium in subsurface water of Punjab state, India. Hum Ecol Risk Assess 2011;17:381-93)]. Radon being a carcinogen has been monitored in some dwellings selected randomly in the study area. Results show that the values of radon ((222)Rn)  varied from 21 to 79 Bq m(-3), with a geometric mean of 45 Bq m(-3) [geometric standard deviation (GSD 1.39)], and those of thoron ((220)Rn)  from minimum detection level to 58 Bq m(-3) with a geometric mean of 19 Bq m(-3) (GSD 1.88). Bare card data are used for computing the progeny concentration by deriving the equilibrium factor (F) using a root finding method [Mayya, Eappen and Nambi (Methodology for mixed field inhalation dosimetry in monazite areas using a twin-cup dosemeter with three track detectors. Radiat Prot Dosim 1998;77(3):177-84)]. Inhalation doses have been calculated and compared using UNSCEAR equilibrium factors and by using the calculated F-values. The results show satisfactory comparison between the values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India. sanju22g@yahoo.co.in
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Surinder
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Bikramjit Singh
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Bajwa
authors.forename: Bhupinder
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Arvind D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sabharwal
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Eappen
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis*; D017687:Radon Daughters / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D017687:Radon Daughters; D011886:Radon