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Concentration of Radon in Indoor Air in Lalibela, Ethiopia
Radiation Science and Technology
Volume 6, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages: 7-11
Received: Nov. 28, 2019; Accepted: Dec. 25, 2019; Published: Apr. 14, 2020
Volume 6, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages: 7-11
Received: Nov. 28, 2019; Accepted: Dec. 25, 2019; Published: Apr. 14, 2020
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Author
Tadesse Abate, Physics Department, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia
Abstract
The second largest cause of lung cancer is related to radon (222Rn) and its progenies in our environment. Building materials, such as concrete, contribute to the production of radon gas through the natural decay of 238U from its constituents. This Radon has been recognized as one of the major contributor to the natural radiation and health hazards in the human dwellings. Even lung cancer is expected if it is present in enhanced levels beyond maximum permissible (acceptable) limit. This thesis reports the measurements of indoor radon concentration in the Lalibela dwellings of the Amhara region in Northern Ethiopia using the cellulose nitrate (LR-115 type-II) plastic track detectors. Eleven cellulose nitrate films (LR-115 SSNTD) were distributed over the study area dwellings according to the fraction of the population. The exposure time was started from February 21/2013 and lasted for 90 days. It is found that the values of radon concentration vary from 52.45 to 353.95 Bqm-3 with the average value of 140.64 Bqm-3. The effective dose rates have been calculated and found to vary from 1.38 to 9.34 mSvy-1 with over all mean value of 3.71 mSvy-1. It is also found that mud houses (houses use unbaked bricks) have relatively lower indoor radon as compared to the houses which are made of the baked bricks and cement.
Keywords
Radon, Detectors, Indoor Air, Dwellings, Effective Dose, NaOH, Etching
To cite this article
Tadesse Abate,
Concentration of Radon in Indoor Air in Lalibela, Ethiopia, Radiation Science and Technology.
Vol. 6, No. 1,
2020, pp. 7-11.
doi: 10.11648/j.rst.20200601.12
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 Authors retain the copyright of this article.
This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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