An investigation of indoor radon concentrations and estimation of public exposure doses in Yinchuan, China / 中国辐射卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective To primarily investigate the indoor radon concentrations in the urban and rural dwellings in Yinchuan, China, and to estimate the effective dose. Methods A total of 67 dwellings, which included 49 urban households and 18 rural households in Yinchuan, were selected to cumulatively measure the indoor radon concentrations for more than 3 months using solid state nuclear track detection. Results The arithmetic mean, geometric mean, median, and range of indoor radon concentrations in urban and rural areas in Yinchuan were 64 Bq/m3, 59 Bq/m3, 57 Bq/m3, and 25-172 Bq/m3, respectively. Surveillance sites with an indoor radon concentration higher than 100 Bq/m3 accounted for 7.5%. Indoor radon concentrations in rural areas were higher than those in urban areas. Indoor radon concentrations were highest in winter and lowest in summer. The effective dose of indoor radon exposure among residents in Yinchuan was 1.86 mSv/a. Conclusion The results of indoor radon concentrations measured in this investigation in Yinchuan are significantly higher than those measured in the 1990s. The annual effective dose is higher than the mean levels in the world and China.