Indoor radon, geogenic radon surrogates and geology - Investigations on their correlation

Author(s)

H. Friedmann, A. Baumgartner, M. Bernreiter, J. Gräser, V. Gruber, F. Kabrt, H. Kaineder, F. J. Maringer, W. Ringer, C. Seidel, G. Wurm

Abstract

The indoor radon concentration was measured in most houses in a couple of municipalities in Austria. At the same time the activity concentration of radium in soil, the soil gas radon concentration, the permeability of the ground and the ambient dose equivalent rate were also measured and the geological situations (geological units) were recorded too. From the indoor radon concentration and different house and living parameters a radon potential (Austrian radon potential) was derived which should represent the radon concentration in a standard room. Another radon potential (Neznal radon potential) was calculated from the soil gas radon concentration and the permeability. The aim of the investigation was to correlate all the different variables and to test if the use of surrogate data (e.g. geological information, ambient dose equivalent rate, etc.) can be used to judge the radon risk for an area without performing numerous indoor measurements.

Organisation(s)

Isotope Physics

External organisation(s)

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, AGES - Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit, BEV - Bundesamt für Eich- und Vermessungswesen, Amt der Oberösterreichischen Landesregierung

Journal

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

Volume

166

Pages

382-389

No. of pages

8

ISSN

0265-931X

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.04.028

Publication date

01-2017

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103014 Nuclear physics, 103037 Environmental physics

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Pollution, Waste Management and Disposal, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Environmental Chemistry

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/61ce8c09-5e2f-4435-8540-cbbf9b55e8cd