In addition to workers in uranium and coal mines, the staff of other underground workplaces, such as workers in caves, can be exposed to 222Rn and its progeny. In this study, radon and radon progeny concentrations were measured in four Hungarian caves. Two of them are used for speleotherapy, one is opened for tourist visits, and one is a reference cave used only for experimental purposes. Seasonal variation of radon levels, with summer maximums and winter minimums typical for cold karstic caves, were observed in all caves investigated. Non-regular diurnal variation of radon concentration was measured in the caves where indoor air was less isolated from the outdoor atmosphere. From the measured radon concentrations, cumulative WLM exposures, bronchial dose, an effective dose equivalent values were calculated for the staff, patients and visitors. The effective dose equivalent values for the cave personnel do not exceed the 20 mSv y-1 limit. The doses for visitors and patients were one or two magnitudes lower than that of the personnel.
AbstractWorkers and visitors in thermal spas are exposed to radiation from radon and short-lived daughters. Radon concentrations in the premises of a thermal bath in Budapest were investigated; high radon concentrations (up to 7.15 kBq.m-3) were found in some rooms. Bronchial dose and effective dose equivalent values were estimated for the staff and the visitors. In some cases the effective dose was about or in excess of 20 mSv annual limit for the workers. Doses for the visitors were about 4 mSv per year, but exposure of the public from radon is still outside the scope of the system of dose limitation.
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