Preliminary integrated indoor radon measurements in Transylvania (Romania)

Author: Cosma Constantin   Szacsvai Kinga   Dinu Alexandra   Ciorba Daniela   Dicu Tiberius   Suciu Liviu  

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

ISSN: 1025-6016

Source: Isotopes in Environmental Health Studies, Vol.45, Iss.3, 2009-09, pp. : 259-268

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Abstract

Measurements of indoor radon concentrations were performed in 406 residential houses in five counties (Cluj, Bihor, Alba, Bistrita, and Sibiu) using Makrofol and CR-39 alpha-track detectors. From our measurements, an average indoor radon concentration of 82.5 Bq m-3 for the Transylvanian population was calculated, i.e. an annual effective dose of 2.4 mSv for the whole body. The calculated dose is 62% higher than that previously reported but yet below the recommended action level of ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection). A log-normal distribution of the radon concentration was obtained for the studied counties, excluding some higher values from the Stei region - a radon-prone area in Transylvania. For the Stei region, the data show a dual log-normal distribution of the radon concentration with the second maximum being related to the houses built using uranium waste as a construction material. Assuming a cancer risk coefficient of 10-4/100 Bq m-3 year-1, one can estimate that about 600 lung cancer per year, for about 7,000,000 inhabitants of the Transylvania region, are due to radon inhalation.