title: Radon Release and Its Simulated Effect on Radiation Doses.
abstract: One of the main factors that affect the uncertainty in calculating the gamma-radiation absorbed dose rate inside a room is the variation in the degree of secular equilibrium of the considered radioactive series. A component of this factor, considered in this paper, is the release of radon (Rn) from building materials to the living space of the room. This release takes place through different steps. These steps are represented and mathematically formulated. The diffusion of radon inside the material is described by Fick's second law. Some of the factors affecting the radon release rate (e.g. covering walls, moisture, structure of the building materials, etc.) are discussed. This scheme is used to study the impact of radon release on the gamma-radiation absorbed dose rate inside a room. The investigation is carried out by exploiting the MCNP simulation software. Different building materials are considered with different radon release rates. Special care is given to Rn due to its relatively higher half-life and higher indoor concentration than the other radon isotopes. The results of the presented model show that the radon release is of a significant impact in some building materials.
authors.affiliation: *Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt.
authors.forename: Momen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orabi
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000032:analysis; D005720:Gamma Rays; D008956:Models, Chemical; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D011886:Radon