Industrial commercial respirator filter as indoor radon monitor

Abstract

This paper presents a method for measuring indoor radon concentrations using a commercially available air-purifying respirator filter as a component of the radon monitor. The filter used was Survivair’s NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety)-approved 100800 model. The method is based on the diffusion of radon gas into the activated carbon of the filter and the measurement of the radioactive daughters resulting from the radon decay. The photopeaks of the ²¹⁴Bi daughter gamma rays (0.609 MeV) were analyzed with a Hyper-Pure Germanium (HPGe) detector and a multichannel system. A monotonically increasing and very close to linear response relation between the integrated area under the ²¹⁴Bi photopeak and the radon concentration of the activated carbon was found. A well-defined relation held for radon levels ranging from 15 to 4,700 Bq/m³. This procedure results in highly reproducible and reliable measurements of indoor radon levels. Interesting applications include the investigation of radiological accidents involving radon and the retrospective measuring of indoor radon concentrations by analyzing the filters of the respirators worn by personnel working during the relevant period.