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Simultaneous measurements of radon and thoron, and their progeny levels in dwellings on anticlinal structures of Assam, India

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Abstract

Radon and thoron, and their progeny concentrations along with equilibrium factors for gas progeny and radiological risks to the residents have been measured in dwellings of Digboi and Mashimpur areas located on anticlines during the winter season. In this present investigation, twin-cup dosemeters fitted with LR-115 (II) nuclear detectors have been employed. The present work has shown that there exist considerable house-to-house variations in values with maximum values in mud houses and minimum values in assam type (AT) houses. It has been found that mean (and geometric standard deviations (GSD)) radon concentrations are 83.8 (1.3), 113.5 (1.1) and 157.2 (1.2) Bq m−3 in AT, reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and mud houses in Digboi area and 63.0 (1.1), 87.1 (1.4) and 182.1 (1.2) Bq m−3 in AT, RCC and mud houses in Mashimpur area, respectively. The overall mean radon concentrations in Digboi and Mashimpur are estimated to be 114.4 (1.4) and 100.0 (1.7) Bq m−3. The mean radon concentrations are found to be less than the lower reference level of 200 Bq m−3 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP 2007). The thoron concentrations in Digboi area are estimated to be 31.1 (1.3), 50.8 (1.4) and 67.0 (1.6) Bq m−3 in AT, RCC and mud houses, respectively, whereas in Mashimpur area, the thoron concentrations are estimated to be 26.4 (1.3), 44.4 (1.3) and 77.7 (1.3) Bq m−3 in AT, RCC and mud houses, respectively. The mean annual effective doses in Digboi area are found to be 1.9 (1.3), 2.7 (1.2) and 4.1 (1.4) mSv y−1 in AT, RCC and mud houses, respectively, while in the case of Mashimpur area, the mean annual effective doses are found to be 1.5 (1.4), 2.2 (1.2) and 4.9 (1.3) mSv y−1 in AT, RCC and mud houses, respectively. Nevertheless, the obtained results are much lower than the upper reference level of 10 mSv (ICRP 2007).

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Acknowledgement

The authors are thankful to the dwellers of the studied area for their cooperation during the field work. We are thankful to Dr. R. William Field of the University of Iowa, USA for his valuable suggestions.

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  1. Department of Physics, Cotton College, Guwahati, 781001, Assam, India

    Debajyoti Barooah & Simi Barman

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, Gauhati University, Guwahati, 781014, Assam, India

    Sarat Phukan

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  1. Debajyoti Barooah
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Correspondence to Debajyoti Barooah.

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Barooah, D., Barman, S. & Phukan, S. Simultaneous measurements of radon and thoron, and their progeny levels in dwellings on anticlinal structures of Assam, India. Environ Monit Assess 186, 3581–3594 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-3640-x

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