Assessment of Indoor and Outdoor Radon Levels in South Lebanon

Abstract

The presence of high indoor radon concentrations, C _x, is a major concern of the public worldwide. Measurements of indoor radon in South Lebanon have been achieved using CR-39 detectors. C _x values ranged between 30 and 122 Bq m⁻³ in one of the major towns in the area and are compared with measured atmospheric air Radon. Moderate seasonal variation of C _x indoors has been observed, although 90 % of the obtained indoor C _x measurements are below 100 Bq m⁻³. Some homes produced C _x readings above the permissible limit. Results showed that the ventilation effect played a major factor in reducing radon concentration levels indoors. Health assessment has been considered. Annual effective doses of radon varied from 1.01 ± 0.10 to 8.65 ± 0.50 mSv a⁻¹ in six homes in one of the four cases studied. These dosage values are above the permitted limit of 2.5 mSv a⁻¹. Several types of granite contained in the studied homes were identified and their contributions to radon levels indoors were calculated.

Keywords

Building materials / CR-39 / Effective dose / Granite exhalation rate / Lebanon / Radon risk assessment

References

[1] Abdallah SM, Habib RR, Nuwayhid RY, Chatila M, Katul G. Radon measurements in well and spring water in Lebanon. Radiation Measurements, 2007, 42(2): 298-303 10.1016/j.radmeas.2006.11.004

[2] Abu-Jarad F, Fremline JH, Bul R. A study of radon emitted from construction materials using plastic α-track detectors. Physics in Medicine & Biology, 1980, 25(6): 483-694 10.1088/0031-9155/25/6/517

[3] Al-Jarallah MI. Radon exhalation from granite used in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2001, 53(1): 91-98 10.1016/S0265-931X(00)00110-7

[4] Barros-Dios JM, Ruano-Ravina A, Gastelu-Iturri J, Figueras A. Factors underlying residential radon concentration: Results from Galcia (Spain). Environmental Research, 2007, 103(2): 185-190 10.1016/j.envres.2006.04.008

[5] Chen J, Rahman NM, Atiya IA. Radon exhalation from building materials for decorative use. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2010, 101(4): 317-322 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2010.01.005

[6] El-Amri EA, Al-Jarallah MI, Abu-Jarad F, Fazal-yr-Rehman EA. Uniformity in radon exhalation from construction materials using can technique. Radiation Measurements, 2003, 36(3): 453-456 10.1016/S1350-4487(03)00170-7

[7] El-Dine NW, El-Shershaby A, Ahmed F, Abdel-Haleem AS. Measurements of radioactivity and radon exhalation rate in different kinds of marbles and granites. Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 2001, 55(6): 853-860 10.1016/S0969-8043(01)00107-5

[8] Environmental Health and Engineering. 2008. Assessing exposure to radon and radiation from granite countertops. Needham, MA: Environmental Health and Engineering.

[9] Font LL, Baixeras C, Domingo C, Ferdandez F. Experimental and theoretical study of radon levels and entry mechanisms in a Mediterranean climate house. Radiation Measurements, 1999, 31: 277-282 10.1016/S1350-4487(99)00110-9

[10] Hassan MNM, Hosoda M, Iwaoka K, Sorimachi A, Miroslaw J, Chutima K, Kumar SS, Ishikawa T. Simultaneous measurement of radon and thoron released from building materials used in Japan. Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology, 2011, 1: 404-407

[11] Khan AJ, Prasad R, Tyagi RK. Measurements of exhalation rate from some building materials. Nuclear Tracks and Radiation Measurements, 1992, 20(4): 609-610 10.1016/1359-0189(92)90013-L

[12] Kobeissi MA, El-Samad O, Zahraman K, Melki S, Bahsoun F, Abumrad KM. Natural radioactivity measurements in building materials in South Lebanon. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2008, 99(8): 1279-1288 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2008.03.007

[13] Kobeissi MA, El-Samad O, Rachidi I. Health assessment of natural radioactivity and radon exhalation rate in granites used as building materials in Lebanon. Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 2013, 153(3): 342-351 10.1093/rpd/ncs110

[14] Lawrence CE, Akber RA, BollhÖfer A, Martin P. Radon-222 exhalation from open ground on and around uranium mine in the wet-dry tropics. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2009, 100(1): 1-8 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2008.09.003

[15] Maged AF, Ashraf FE. Radon exhalation rate of building materials used in Egypt. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2005, 27(5–6): 485-489 10.1007/s10653-005-5332-5

[16] Maged AF, Borham E. A study of radon emitted from various building materials using alpha track detectors. Radiation Measurements, 1997, 28(1): 613-617 10.1016/S1350-4487(97)00152-2

[17] Mireles F, Garcia ML, Quirino LL, Davila JI, Pinedo JL, Rios C, Montero ME, Colmenero L, Villaba L. Radon survey related to construction materials and soils in Zacatecas, Mexico using LR-115. Radiation Measurements, 2007, 42(8): 1397-1403 10.1016/j.radmeas.2007.07.004

[18] Nassiri P, Ebrahimi H, Shalkouhi PJ. Evaluation of radon exhalation rate from granite stone. Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research, 2011, 70(3): 230-231.

[19] Nazaroff WW, Nero AV Jr Radon and its decay products in indoor air, 1988, New York: John Wiley and Sons

[20] Nicolopoulos D, Louizi A. Study of indoor radon and radon in drinking water in Greece and Cyprus: Implication to exposure and dose. Radiation Measurements, 2008, 43(7): 1305-1314 10.1016/j.radmeas.2008.03.043

[21] Papaefthymiou H, Gouseti O. Natural radioactivity and associated radiation hazards in building materials used in Peloponnese, Greece. Radiation Measurements, 2008, 43(8): 1453-1457 10.1016/j.radmeas.2008.03.032

[22] Rahman SU, Anwar J, Matiullah Measurement of indoor radon concentration levels in Islamabad, Pakistan. Radiation Measurements, 2008, 43(S1): S401-S404 10.1016/j.radmeas.2008.04.046

[23] Sajo’-Bohus L, Pa’′falvi J, Urbani F, Castro D, Greaves ED, Liendo JA. Environmental Gamma radon dosimetry in Venezuela. Radiation Measurements, 1999, 31: 283-286 10.1016/S1350-4487(99)00116-X

[24] Sharma DK, Kumar A, Kumar M, Singh S. Study of uranium, radium and radon exhalation rate in soil samples from some areas of Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, India, using solid-state nuclear track detectors. Radiation Measurements, 2003, 36: 363-366 10.1016/S1350-4487(03)00152-5

[25] Singh B, Virk HS. Effect of soil and sand moisture content on radon diffusion using plastic track etched detector. Radiation Measurements, 1996, 26(1): 49-50 10.1016/1350-4487(95)00255-3

[26] Singh S, Malhotra R, Kumar J, Singh L. Indoor radon measurements in dwellings of Kulu area, Himachal Pradesh, using solid state nuclear track detectors. Radiation Measurements, 2001, 34: 505-508 10.1016/S1350-4487(01)00216-5

[27] Singh S, Sharma DK, Kumar A. Environmental radon studies using solid state nuclear track detectors. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2004, 76(3): 369-376 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2004.01.029

[28] Singh H, Singh J, Singh S, Bajwa BS. Radon exhalation rate and uranium estimation study of some soil and rock samples from Tusham ring complex, India using SSNTD. Radiation Measurements, 2008, 43(S1): S459-S462 10.1016/j.radmeas.2008.04.060

[29] UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation). 1993. United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of atomic radiation sources and effects of ionizing radiation. New York: United Nations.

[30] UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation). 2000. United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of atomic radiation. Annex A: Exposure from natural sources. New York: United Nations.

[31] Walley CD. A braided strike-slip model for the northern continuation of the Dead Sea Fault and its implications for Levantine tectonics. Tectonophysics, 1988, 145(1–2): 63-72 10.1016/0040-1951(88)90316-2

[32] Walley CD. Some outstanding issues in the geology of Lebanon and their importance in the tectonic evolution of the Levantine region. Tectonophysics, 1998, 298(1–3): 37-62 10.1016/S0040-1951(98)00177-2

[33] WHO (World Health Organization) Handbook on indoor radon, 2009, Geneva: World Health Organization