Indoor Radon Measurement in Buildings of A.O.R.N Cardarelli, the Largest Hospital of National Relevance in Southern Italy

Abstract

Indoor radon concentrations constitute a major source of exposure to ionizing radiation for humans. It has been estimated that radon contributes about 10% of deaths from lung cancer in the USA and Europe. In Italy, current legislation establishes that the concentration of radon must be monitored in all workplaces located in a basement and on the ground floor. In this study, the indoor radon concentration of 20 multi-floor buildings on the Cardarelli Hospital was measured during two consecutive semesters. The survey was carried out with CR-39 solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs). Radon concentrations were found to range from 4 Bq/m3 to 424 Bq/m3, with a median of 24 Bq/m3. The dependence of the radon concentrations on the measurement floor and the room-to-room spatial variation was also analyzed.

Keywords

• radon concentration
• hospital
• CR-39 detector