[en] This paper discusses the results obtained with a radon monitor based on a damage track detector suitable for short-term exposure measurements. (author). 7 refs, 4 figs

[en] Shrot communication

[en] The high incidence of cancer amongst people residing in certain specific regions in the world has given rise to the need to monitor the natural background radiation exposure. The major contributor to this background radiation is ²²²Rn and its daughters. In Ghana an attempt is on the way to map out regions of high natural background radiation through the monitoring of radon gas in some homes. Two types of construction techniques are being used in Ghana. The modern house mainly constructed from cement blocks and the local house mainly built from sun baked mud blocks. These measurements were carried out using alpha sensitive track detector LR-115 and the counting done using a spark counter. The results are presented in this paper. (author). 7 refs, 1 fig

[en] For a screening survey of indoor radon, an exposure period as low as one week is required. For these measurements, damage track detectors are considered not sufficiently sensitive and the diffusion barrier charcoal adsorption collector, DBCA, is used in spite of having a response highly dependent on temperature and humidity. This paper illustrates how simple it is to measure short-term radon exposures by spark counting large area cellulose nitrate foils. (author)

[en] An alpha particle detector made of a mercuric iodide crystal grown from the vapour phase had been fabricated and tested. There was a vacuum deposition of thin film electrodes to allow alpha particles to pass through with little degradation.Test with different bias voltages to study its effect on its resolution is reported in this paper. An alpha particle detection resolution of 5% of the Am-242 had been achieved with the detector tested (author)

[en] Short communication

[en] In spite of the fact that in the majority of cases the most important radon source is the soil and the rock beneath the house, no large scale survey of soil radon has ever been made in Italy. In this paper the results of a large scale survey of soil radon are presented from measurements made in hundreds of different sites in Latium and Campania. For several locations, results of measurements gathered for different years are described and up-dated. As a pilot project for indoor radon survey monthly variations of radon concentrations in typical houses have been investigated. (author)

[en] Assessments of radon and gamma radiation levels were carried out in underground artisanal gold mines in Tongo. This is one of the numerous artisanal gold mining communities in Ghana. Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTDs) were used to estimate the mean ²²²Rn concentration and dose rates during the Harmattan season (November 2010 to February 2011). The values for the ²²²Rn concentration at each monitoring site ranged from 14 ± 4 Bq m⁻³ to 270 ± 9 Bq m⁻³, with a mean value of 98 Bq m⁻³. These measurements are well below the lower action level of 500 Bq m⁻³ recommended by ICRP for workplaces. The activity concentrations of ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th and ²³⁸U were determined using gamma-ray spectroscopy method. The effective dose estimates of 0.11 ± 0.02 mSv y⁻¹ to 0.68 ± 0.04 mSv y⁻¹ were below the allowable limit of 20 mSv per annum for occupational exposure control recommended by the ICRP. The total annual effective dose varied from 0.22 ± 0.04 mSv y⁻¹ to 1.92 ± 0.08 mSv y⁻¹. -- Highlights: • Mean radon concentration ranged from 14 ± 4 Bq m⁻³ to 270 ± 9 Bq m⁻³. • Annual effective dose of radionuclides from 0.11 ± 0.02 to 0.69 ± 0.04 mSv y⁻¹. • ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K contributed 5–20%, 39–78% and 17–49% of effective dose. • Max total annual effective dose of 1.9 ± 0.08 mSv y⁻¹ below 20 mSv y⁻¹ set by ICRP 60