Simple one-parameter function to retrieve the correct exposure value from CR-39 radon detectors in high-saturation regime. Checks on two kinds of analysis systems.

Radon activity concentration measurements in air can be easily performed by using CR-39 detectors whose response is almost linear in the range of medium-low exposures. However, when the exposure values grow too much, a saturation phenomenon becomes relevant and some corrections have to be adopted even if they cannot always be very accurate and easy to apply. Therefore, a simple alternative method for determining the correct response curve of the CR-39 detectors, from low up to very high radon exposures, is showed. To verify its robustness and the general applicability, several certified measurements were carried out in a radon chamber at different levels of exposure. Moreover, two different types of commercially available radon analysis systems were used.

TENORM employed as inert material for house building: a model for evaluating the radon activity enhancement.

Radon exhalation from soil and ores is among the most dangerous risks for the public health care. The impact becomes even more powerful when technological enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) are used for public and private building. Here, we built a down-scaled model (a 1.0 m × 1.0 m × 0.5 m parallelepiped) of a dwelling, whose construction materials contain TENORM harvested in a site in Crotone (Italy). We observed an increase of the radon activity in the model when TENORM residues are employed, reaching a value around 120 Bq/m3, i.e. up to three times higher than the typical values of Crotone indoor environment, which ranges around 40 Bq/m3. These results have then been compared to a real use case. The correspondence found between the values of radon activity concentration in the model and in the use case suggests that estimating the radon concentration is a useful method to target TENORM presence inside buildings.