title: Radon concentrations in kindergartens and schools in two cities: Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski in Poland.
abstract: Plastic PicoRad detectors with activated charcoal have been used for radon monitoring in local kindergartens and schools in two cities, Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski, in the region of Greater Poland. Detectors were exposed for a standard time of 48 h during the autumn and winter of 2011 in 103 rooms (Kalisz) and 55 rooms (Ostrów Wlkp), respectively. The detectors were calibrated in the certified radon chamber of the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection in Warsaw, Poland. The arithmetic and geometric means of indoor radon concentrations in the examined rooms were 46.0 and 30.3 Bq/m3for Kalisz and 48.9 and 29.8 Bq/m3for Ostrów Wlkp, respectively. The measured levels of the indoor radon concentrations were relatively low, since the main source of indoor radon for these low storey (max. three storeys) buildings is radon escaping from the underlying soil with a low226Ra concentration (~15 Bq/m3). Therefore, the calculated annual effective doses from that source for the children in Kalisz and Ostrów Wlkp were also low 0.35 mSv.
authors.affiliation: Higher Vocational State School in Kalisz, ul. Nowy Świat 4, 62-800 Kalisz, Poland.
authors.forename: Henryk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bem
authors.affiliation: Higher Vocational State School in Kalisz, ul. Nowy Świat 4, 62-800 Kalisz, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bem
authors.affiliation: Higher Vocational State School in Kalisz, ul. Nowy Świat 4, 62-800 Kalisz, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krawczyk
authors.affiliation: Higher Vocational State School in Kalisz, ul. Nowy Świat 4, 62-800 Kalisz, Poland.
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Płotek
authors.affiliation: Higher Vocational State School in Kalisz, ul. Nowy Świat 4, 62-800 Kalisz, Poland.
authors.forename: Sławomira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Janiak
authors.affiliation: Higher Vocational State School in Kalisz, ul. Nowy Świat 4, 62-800 Kalisz, Poland.
authors.forename: Daria
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazurek
keywords: Children exposure; Effective dose evaluation; Indoor radon