Radon exhalation rate for phosphate rocks samples using alpha track detectors

Abstract

Solid state nuclear track detectors are used in very broad fields of technical applications and successfully applied in different areas of environmental physics and geophysics. Radon concentration and surface exhalation rate for phosphate samples from El-Sebaeya and Abu-Tartur, Egypt, were measured using nuclear tracks detectors from types CR-39 and LR-115. The average values of radon concentration are 12711.03 and 10925.02 Bqm−3 in El-Sebaeya area using CR-39 and LR-115 detectors, respectively. Also the average values of radon concentration are 15824.16 and13601.48 Bqm−3 in Abu-Tartur area using CR-39 and LR-115 detectors, respectively. From the obtained results we can conclude that the average values of radon concentration in Abu-Tartur are higher than El-Sebaeya. The present study is important to detect any harmful radiation which, can be used as reference information to assess any changes in the radioactive background level in the surrounding environment.

Keywords

• Radon
• Phosphate
• Exhalation rate
• SSNTDs
• Passive technique