title: AN ALTERNATIVE CALIBRATION OF CR-39 DETECTORS FOR RADON DETECTION BEYOND THE SATURATION LIMIT.
abstract: Time-integrated measurements of indoor radon levels are commonly carried out using solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs), due to the numerous advantages offered by this radiation detection technique. However, the use of SSNTD also presents some problems that may affect the accuracy of the results. The effect of overlapping tracks often results in the underestimation of the detected track density, which leads to the reduction of the counting efficiency for increasing radon exposure. This article aims to address the effect of overlapping tracks by proposing an alternative calibration technique based on the measurement of the fraction of the detector surface covered by alpha tracks. The method has been tested against a set of Monte Carlo data and then applied to a set of experimental data collected at the radon chamber of the Istituto Nazionale di Metrologia delle Radiazioni Ionizzanti, at the ENEA centre in Casaccia, using CR-39 detectors. It has been proved that the method allows to extend the detectable range of radon exposure far beyond the intrinsic limit imposed by the standard calibration based on the track density.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rome, ARPA Lazio, Via Giuseppe Saredo 52, Rome 00100, Italy daniele.franci@arpalazio.it.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Franci
authors.affiliation: Department of Rome, ARPA Lazio, Via Giuseppe Saredo 52, Rome 00100, Italy.
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aureli
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Metrologia delle Radiazioni Ionizzanti (INMRI), CR ENEA Casaccia, Rome 00123, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cardellini
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D002138:Calibration; D006801:Humans; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; C028827:CR 39; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D011886:Radon