Assessment of Radon level in dwellings of Tabriz

Abstract

Background & Objective: Indoor radon gas (222Rn) has been recognized as one of the causes of lung cancer. The presence of radioactive radium in the construction & materials in the buildings its changes in contact with radon gas may lead to increase level of radon gas in the residential houses. In this regards, indoor radon measurement is important. This study was conducted to determine radon concentration in Tabriz houses. Materials & Methods: In this study, 196 radon diffusion dosimeters were left in different floors of houses constructed with different materials such as cement (betony), heated brick & clay with raw brick at every floor for 6 months. The “electrochemical etching” method was applied to detect “alpha tracks” on the polymers of dosimeters and based on number of these tracks, radon concentration was determined. Results: This study showed that average radon concentration were 39Bqm-3 in the houses. At different floors & different construction material the average effective dose equivalent of lung tissue was 0.97msvy-1. Conclusion: Based on these results, it can be concluded that, the indoor radon levels in the Tabriz houses are within acceptable range.

Keywords

• Radon-222
• Lung cancer
• Dosimetery