Measurement of Indoor Radioactive Pollutants at

Various Heights Using Track Etch Technique

R.S.Sainia, Ravish Gargb, Dinesh Kumarc, R.P. Chauhand, Nawal Kishoree
& S.K. Chakarvartif
a
Department of Physics, University College, Kurukshetra
b
Department of Biomedical Engineering, GJUST, Hisar
c
Department of Electronics, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra
d
Department of Physics National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra
e
Department of Physics,GJUST Hisar (Haryana)
f
Director, Research and Development Manav Rachna International University(MRIU), Faridabad

E-mail: ramsaran.saini@yahoo.com

Abstract: Indoor radioactivity is caused by radon, thoron and their progenies and is the main source of
human exposure from naturally occurring radiation. Sources of radon are soil gas, rocks, building materials,
water etc. Contribution made by radon to human exposure in indoor environment is usually large as
compared with that of thoron due to its larger half life period (3.824 days). Occurrence of radon and their
progeny in dwellings is due to the use of building materials containing radium, ventilation rate in the
dwellings and also entry of radon into dwellings through the cracks, sumps and drains in floor/wall. The work
presented here emphasizes the long term measurements of radon, thoron and their progeny concentrations in
dwellings of same dimension at different heights in an inn using solid state nuclear track detectors.
Measurements were made using “Twin chamber Radon-Thoron dosimeter” and the concentrations were
estimated by knowing the track density produced by alpha particles through the film in bare, filter and
membrane mode. The results indicate that the concentration of radon and its progeny is maximum in
basement and then decreases with height.

Keywords: Radon, thoron, dosimeter, building materials, SSNTDs.

1. Introduction Radon in soil air can enter the houses

through any openings in the building that is in
Natural radiation has always been part
contact with the underlying ground. Radon
of the human environment. Its main components
inflow takes place due to Stack effect, which is
are cosmic and cosmogenic radiation, terrestrial
based upon the fact that indoor air is usually at a
gamma radiation from natural radionuclides in
lower pressure than the gas in soil as warm
rocks and soil, and natural radioactive substances
indoor air is less dense than outdoor air.
in our diet and in the air we breathe. Uranium is
Chimneys and flues can increase this pressure
a naturally occurring radioactive element present
difference. So, building height becomes
in trace amounts throughout the earth’s crust.
important due to buoyancy of warm air where
Radon is a progeny of uranium formed from
indoor radon concentration generally decreases
radioactive decay of radium in the environment,
from base to first floor and first floor to higher
soil, ground water, oil and gas deposits.
floors for the time of normal activity. The radon
Radon is the primary source of naturally
gas, being heavier than air, accumulates in the
occurring α -radiation present everywhere in the basement and on lower floors and hence
environment in varying concentration. Radon is enhances its levels there [3]. Wind blowing
the heaviest known radioactive gas, nine times across and around houses can also reduce indoor
heavier than air. It is the only gas in the long air pressure. Radon appears mainly by diffusion
decay chain of heavy metal elements. This
processes from the point of origin following α -
contributes about 54% of the average
decay of 226Ra in underground soil and building
contribution from natural radiation [1]. So for
materials used in the construction of floors,
those persons who live close to the ground, e.g.
walls, and ceilings. Radon can also originate
in detached houses or on the ground floor of
from the deeply buried deposits beneath homes
apartment buildings without cellars, the most
and can migrate to the surface of earth by
important radon source is radium in the ground.
diffusion or transport process. Radioactive radon
can migrate from soils, rocks and accumulate in
surrounding enclosed areas such as homes and
underground mines. The influx of radon is a
function of permeability of the underlying soil,
geological, meteorological and structural factors.
The concentration of radon in the atmosphere
varies, depending on the place, time, and height
above the ground and the meteorological
conditions. When radon decays its progeny 218Po
and 214Po are found electrically charged and they
can attach themselves to tiny dust particles,
water vapours, oxygen, trace gases in indoor air
and other solid surfaces. These daughter
products remain air-borne for a long time.
Aerosols can easily be inhaled into lung and can
adhere to the epithelial lining of lung, thereby
irradiating the tissue [2].
Building materials are the main sources of
radon-220 (also called "thoron") in indoor air.
Due to its short half life (55 s), thoron
originating in soil in effect is usually prevented
from entering buildings and therefore makes
negligible contribution to indoor thoron levels.
For this reason and due to the greater difficulties
of measurement, thoron or thoron progeny
concentration measurements are very much
fewer than those for radon. Although the indoor
thoron concentrations are usually low [4,12], in
some cases the doses due to this isotope and its
daughters are significant and comparable to
those due to radon-222 [5,7,10]. As the radon
and its progeny are the major contributors in the
radiation dose received by general population of
the world. Keeping this in mind the variation in
radon, thoron and its progeny concentration at
different heights has been studied using radon
thoron twin dosimeter cups. The present study
has been carried out in rooms of about same
dimension at various heights in an inn at
Kurukshetra (Haryana).
2. Methodology
For the measurement of concentration of
radon, radon and thoron both, and total sum of
radon, thoron and their progeny, in the
dwellings, the radon-thoron mixed field
dosimeter popularly known as, ‘Twin Chamber
Radon-Thoron Dosimeters, have been employed.
Each twin chamber dosimeter cup having a
provision for three detectors in bare, filter and
membrane modes was loaded with LR-115 type
II plastic track detectors and placed at suitable
height in dwellings and away from the walls in
order to protect the detectors from the reach of
alpha particles emitted from the floor and the
building construction materials [11].
Also radon concentration and annual
effective dose measurements were carried out at
different heights (height of each floor was about
8.5 ft) in rooms made of same construction
materials and of about same dimensions at
Kurukshetra. The detectors in the present study
were removed after 100 days and subjected to
chemical etching. The detectors were washed
and dried and the tracks produced by the alpha
particles were observed under an optical
microscope at 600X for finding track density
(track/cm2/day). The measured track density was
converted into radon, thoron and their progeny
concentrations using calibration factors as
discussed earlier [8,9].
If T is taken as track density observed on a
SSNTD due to exposure in a given mode to a
concentration C of a given piece for a time t,
then in general we take
T= K × C× t, (1)
where, K is calibration factor.
Therefore, following relations were used to
determine the concentration of Radon (CR),
thoron (CT), and progeny levels of radon (C R
(WL)) and that of thoron (CT (WL) [6, 8, 9]
CR= TM/ tKRM (2)
CT= TF - KRFCRt/tKTF (3)
Progeny levels of Radon (WL)
= CR (Bqm-3) x FR /3700 (4)
Progeny levels of Thoron (WL)
= CT (Bqm-3) x FT /3700, (5)
Where, TM=track density in membrane
compartment
TF =track density in filter compartment
t = total exposure time
KRM = Calibration factor for radon in membrane
mode
=0.021trcm-2d-1/Bqm-3(here tr stands for tracks)
KRF =Calibration factor for radon in filter mode
= 0.023 tr cm-2 d-1/ Bqm-3
KTF =Calibration factor for thoron in filter mode
= 0.019 tr cm-2 d-1/ Bqm-3
FR = Equilibrium factor for Radon having value
of 0.4
FT = Equilibrium factor for Thoron having value
of 0.1
 Indoor inhalation dose received due to 222 Rn and
its progeny, and 220 Rn and its progeny, has been
estimated using the following relation [9]
D = {(0.17+ 9FR) CR+ (0.11+32FT) CT} x 7000
x10-6, where
FR = equilibrium factor for radon = 0.4
FT = equilibrium factor for thoron = 0.1 [13]
3. Results and Discussion
The radon concentration in dwellings at various
heights varied from 49-148 Bq m-3 with an
average of 92± 19 Bq m-3 while the thoron
concentration in the same study varied from
25-60 Bq m-3 with an average of 44± 6.4 Bq m-3.
The radon progeny levels in the dwellings under
study varied from 5.5-16.1 mWL while the
thoron progeny levels varied from 0.6-1.6 mWL.
Annual dose received by the inhabitants in the
dwellings under study varied from 1.9-5.2 mSv
(table-1).
The levels of radon, thoron and its progeny are
higher in locations close to the earth because the
radon in soil gas enters into dwellings through
openings or cracks in the floor/wall. There is
decrease in levels with height of the dwelling
(Fig.-1)
References
[1] ATSDR, 1999. Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry. Toxicological Profile
for Ionizing Radiation. Atlanta, GA: U.S
[2] BEIR VI, Report of the Committee on the
Biological effects of Ionizing Radiation,
1999. Natl. Res. Council. Natl. Acad.
Press, Washington, DC.
[3] R.P. Chauhan, K. Kant, R.S. Saini, Kapil
Jindal and S.K Chakarvarti, “Radium
concentration and radon exhalation rates
from some soil samples using solid state
nuclear track detectors. Environ. Geochem.
9, 100, 2006.
[4] K.D. Cliff, "Thoron daughter
concentrations in UK-homes", Radiat. Prot.
Dosim. 45(1-4) Supplement, 361-366,
1992.
Add some more references to our earlier work
[5] M. Doi and S.
Kobayashi,"Characterization of Japanese
wooden houses with enhanced radon and
thoron concentrations", Health Phys. 66(3),
274-282, 1994.
[6] K.P. Eappen, and Y.S. Mayya,
“Calibration factor for LR-115 (type II)
radon thoron discriminating dosimeter”,
Rad. Meas. 38, 1, p 5-7, 2004.
[7] Q. Guo, M. Shimo, Y. Ikebe, and S.
Minato, "The study of thoron and radon
progeny concentrations in dwellings in
Japan", Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 45(1-4)
Supplement, 357-359, 1992.
[8] Y.S. Mayya, “Theory of radon exhalation
into accumulators placed at the soil
atmosphere interface”, Rad. Prot. Dos.
111(3), 305-318, 2004.
[9] Y.S. Mayya, K.P. Eappen and K.S.V.
Nambi, “Methodology for mixed field
inhalation dosimetry in monazite area using
a twin cup dosimeter with three track
detectors”, Radi. Prot. Dosi., vol. 77,3,
pp177-184, 1998.
[10] G. Sciocchetti, M. Bovi, G. Cotellessa,
P.G. Baldassini, C. Battella, and I. Porcu,
"Indoor radon and thoron surveys in high
radioactivity areas of Italy", Radiat. Prot.
Dosim. 45(1-4) Supplement, 509-513,
1992.
[11] S. Singh, R. Sharma, K. Singh, “Seasonal
variation of radon indoor in dwellings of
Malwa region in Punjab”, Atm.
Environ.39, 7761, 2005.
[12] UNSCEAR, United Nation Scientific
Committee on the Effects of Atomic
Radiation. Exposures from Natural Sources
of Radiation, Annex A, A/Ac., 82/R. 526,
1993.
[13] UNSCEAR, United Nation Scientific
Committee on the Effects of Atomic
Radiation, 2000. Sources and Effects of
Ionizing Radiations . U.N. New York.
Table 1. Radon, thoron and their progeny levels at various heights in dwellings in an inn at Kurukshetra

Locations Heights or No. of Radon Thoron Progeny levels Annual Dose

depth from concentration concentration received
dwellings (mWL)
earth’s surface
(cms) (Bq m-3) (Bq m-3) (mSv)
Radon Thoron
Basement -60.8 2 148 56 16.1 1.5 5.2

Ground floor 182.4 3 121 60 13.1 1.6 4.6

First floor 425.6 3 88 39 9.6 1.0 3.2

Second floor 668.8 3 55 38 6.1 0.9 2.3

Third floor 912.0 2 49 25 5.5 0.6 1.9

AM + SE 92±19 44±6.4 10.1±2 1.1±0.2 3.4±0.6

* SE (Standard Error) = σ /√N, where σ is SD (Standard Deviation), and N is the no of observations

160
Radon concentration(Bq/m3)

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0
1 2 3 4 5
Increasing height

Fig1: Variation in radon concentration with heights of floor in dwellings