Indoor radon concentration measurement in the dwellings of district Poonch (Azad Kashmir), Pakistan

Rafique, Muhammad; Rahman, Said; Rahman, Saeed Ur; Jabeen, Shahida; Shahzad, M.I.; Rathore, M. H.; Matiullah,

doi:10.1093/rpd/ncp203

Cited by 33 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The results of the study by Yousefi et al ( 31 ) in the City of Gorgan showed that the average and SD of the concentration of radon gas in the bedroom were 48.04±40.39 while they were 39.94±35.22 Bq/m 3 in the living room. Also, the results of a study by Denman & Rafigh using Cr-39 detectors in residential homes showed that the concentration of radon gas in the bedroom was higher than the concentration in the living room, which matches the results of the present study ( 40 , 41 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Estimation of the residential radon levels and the annual effective dose in dwellings of Shiraz, Iran, in 2015

Yarahmadi¹,

Shahsavani²,

Mahmoudian³

et al. 2016

Electron physician

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IntroductionRadon is the second most important cause of lung cancer after smoking. Thus, the determination of indoor radon concentrations in dwellings and workplaces is an important public health concern. The purpose of this research was to measure the concentration of radon gas in residential homes and public places in the city of Shiraz and its relationship with the type and age of the buildings as well as the type of materials used to construct the building (brick, block). We also determined the radon dosages that occupants of the building would receive.MethodsThe present study is a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional research that was conducted on the building’s indoor air in the city of Shiraz in 2015. Using geographic information system (GIS) software and a spatial sampling cell with an area of 25 square kilometers, 200 points were selected. In this study, we used passive diffusive samplers as Solid State Nuclear Track Detector (SSNTD) CR-39 polycarbonate films for three months in the winter. Sampling was conducted in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s protocol. We determined the concentrations of radon gas at the time of sampling, and calibration factors were determined. The data were analyzed by IBM-SPSS, version 20, descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann–Whitney tests.ResultsThis study showed that the average radon concentration was 57.6 ± 33.06 Bq/m3 in residential dwellings. The average effective dose was 1.45 mSv/y. The concentration of radon in 5.4% of the houses was found to be greater than 100 Bq/m3, which is above the level allowed by the World Health Organization (WHO).ConclusionSince radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, it seems necessary to increase the public’s awareness of this issue and to take action to reduce radon in homes when the concentrations are above the WHO’s guideline.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Estimation of the residential radon levels and the annual effective dose in dwellings of Shiraz, Iran, in 2015

Yarahmadi¹,

Shahsavani²,

Mahmoudian³

et al. 2016

Electron physician

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“…This work deals with determination of radon exhalation from the locally mined export quality decorative stones and is a continuation of our previous studies (Rafique et al 2008(Rafique et al , 2010. The main objective of this work is to set up radon baseline data and to find out whether or not these decorative stones are safe to be exported for use in construction of buildings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of radon exhalation from granite, dolerite and marbles decorative stones of the Azad Kashmir area, Pakistan

Rafique

Rathore

2013

Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Extensive export quality reserves of granite, dolerite and marbles which are used for interior decorations as wall facing, paving floors, kitchen counter tops, etc., are available in Azad Kashmir. Since these stones contain radium in trace amounts, therefore, its use as a building material may be a potential source of indoor radon. In order to assess health hazards due to the use of these stones as a building material, samples were collected from different mining sites. After processing, these samples were placed in plastic containers and box type radon detectors were installed in it at the height of 25 cm above the surface of the samples. The containers were then hermetically sealed. After 60 days of exposure to radon, CR-39 detectors were etched in 6 M NaOH at 70°C for 9 h and measured track densities were related to radon concentration. Radon exhalation rate form the studied granites, marble and dolerite samples varied from 87 ± 26 to 353 ± 36 mBq m -2 h -1 , 79 ± 25 to 650 ± 42 mBq m -2 h -1 and 90 ± 26 to 324 ± 36 mBq m -2 h -1 , respectively. These decorative stones are therefore used in buildings and for export purposes as the observed radon exhalation values are smaller than that of the EPA recommended-action level.

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“…This study is a continuation of our previous published work. It is a step forward for setting the baseline data at radon Atlas for this part of world [18,19].…”

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confidence: 99%

Assessment of Seasonal Variation of Indoor Radon Level in Dwellings of Some Districts of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Rafique

Rahman²,

Mahmood

et al. 2011

Indoor and Built Environment

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Measurements of indoor radon concentrations in 200dwellings of four districts of Azad Kashmir have been carried out using CR-39-based radon dosimeters. Indoor radon levels were calculated for four seasons (i.e. spring, summer, autumn and winter) in Muzaffarabad, Hattian, Neelum and Poonch districts. Maximum value of radon concentration (398 AE 2 BqÁm À3 ) has been found in Muzaffarabad district (in bedrooms) and minimum value (23 AE 9 BqÁm À3 ) is reported for Hattian district (in living rooms). Elevated values of radon levels have been found in winter, whilst lower values are observed in summer season. Seasonal correction factors calculated for spring, summer, autumn and winter seasons were found to be 1.02 AE 0.91, 0.86 AE 0.77, 0.98 AE 0.92 and 1.14 AE 1.04, respectively. Measured values for winter/spring, winter/summer and winter/autumn radon ratios were found as 1.11 AE 1.28, 1.33 AE 1.21 and 1.15 AE 1.17. Radon doses have been calculated and yearly mean effective dose has been found 2.52 AE 1.22 mSv, which is less than the lower limit of the recommended action level 3-10 mSv.

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Indoor radon concentration measurement in the dwellings of district Poonch (Azad Kashmir), Pakistan

Cited by 33 publications

References 25 publications

Estimation of the residential radon levels and the annual effective dose in dwellings of Shiraz, Iran, in 2015

Estimation of the residential radon levels and the annual effective dose in dwellings of Shiraz, Iran, in 2015

Determination of radon exhalation from granite, dolerite and marbles decorative stones of the Azad Kashmir area, Pakistan

Assessment of Seasonal Variation of Indoor Radon Level in Dwellings of Some Districts of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

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