Background: Everyone is exposed to radon
because it is present everywhere with varying concentrations.
Radon and its progeny are well established
as lung carcinogenic. Materials and Methods: Track
etch technique using LR-115 plastic track detectors
has been used to measure the effective radium
content and radon exhalation rates in soil samples
collected from urban area of Etah district of Uttar
Pradesh province in Northern India. Results: The
values of effective radium content are found to vary
from 27.87 to 45.14 Bq.kg-1 with a mean value of
34.98 Bq.kg-1. The mass exhalation rates of radon
vary from 2.38 × 10-6 to 3.86 × 10-6 Bq.kg-1.d-1 with a
mean value of 2.99 × 10-6 Bq.kg-1.d-1. The surface
exhalation rates of radon have been found to vary
from 6.19 × 10-5 to 10.03 × 10-5 Bq.m-2.d-1 with a
mean value of 7.77 × 10-5 Bq.m-2.d-1. Conclusion:
Radon exhalation study is important for understanding
the relative contribution of the material to the
total radon concentration found inside the dwellings.
The values of radium and radon exhalation rates are
found to be below the safe limit recommended by
OECD, 1979. Iran. J. Radiat. Res., 2011 8(4): 207-210
Shakir Khan M, Naqvi A, Azam A, Srivastava D. Radium and radon exhalation studies of soil. Int J Radiat Res 2011; 8 (4) :207-210 URL: http://ijrr.com/article-1-682-en.html