Origin of radon in medicinal waters of Lądek Zdrój (Sudety Mountains, SW Poland) (original) (raw)
Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2022
The paper describes research aimed at expanding scientific knowledge of radioactive isotope 222Rn occurrence in groundwaters flowing in crystalline rocks, including its spatial and temporal changes. The research, conducted in an area characterized by medium radon potential, was intended to determine the values of 222Rn activity concentration in groundwater in this type of areas. The 222Rn activity concentration in groundwaters discharged from investigated springs oscillated between 35.3 and 272.0 Bq/L. The authors discovered possible prevalence of radon groundwaters in areas with medium radon potential, which is the reason why all groundwaters intended for human consumption or household use in such areas should be subject to obligatory monitoring of 222Rn activity concentration. In the event of identifying occurrence of waters with 222Rn activity concentration of at least 100 Bq/L, their purification by removing radon is necessary before they are supplied to a water distribution net...
Exposure to radon in the radon spa Niška Banja, Serbia
Radiation Measurements, 2012
There is a well-known radon spa Ni ska Banja in southeast of Serbia. In Ni ska Banja spa there is a medical complex and radon is used for therapeutic purposes for many different diseases. This paper presents elevated radon levels in the Ni ska Banja spa. Indoor radon and radon in water activity concentration measurements in thermal pools and therapy rooms are presented. There are also results from gamma spectrometry measurements of soil, rock and therapy mud. A special attention is paid to the medical staff exposure to radon around thermal pools. The annual effective doses from radon for staff working around the thermal pools in Ni ska Banja spa are very high comparing to the maximum recommendation level. The maximal radon concentration of (22.90 AE 0.57) kBq m À3 was measured in the basement of the hoteldispensary "Radon". This hotel is settled on "bigar" rock e travertine, which has high content of 226 Ra.
Radon in drinking water in the Białystok region of Poland
Nukleonika, 2010
Water is one of the indoor sources of 222 Rn. As radon is soluble in water, it is carried indoor by water supply and there it is released. The presence of radon in groundwaters is caused by direct migration of 222 Rn from rocks and soil to waters as well as by radium content in water. Radon inflow indoor is possible in the areas where drinking water shows high radon concentration. Radon concentration changes significantly from low in natural surface water to relatively high from water in drilled wells. It is estimated that out of 10,000 Bq•m -3 of radon contained in water supply we can obtain radon concentration increase by 1 Bq•m -3 indoor. The aim of the study was to measure radon in water supply in the Białystok region and also estimation of doses and investigation how the treatment influenced radon concentration in water. Water was collected from rural and municipal waterworks as well as from home wells. Measurements of radon concentration in particular stages of drawing and treatment of water in Białystok waterworks were also conducted. A liquid scintillation method was used in the study. The arithmetic mean of radon concentrations in the samples was equal to 5800 Bq•m -3 , median -4800 Bq•m -3 , and geometric mean -4600 Bq•m -3 . The lowest values of radon concentration were observed in surface waters (from surface intake). Radon concentrations in waters from drilled wells, shallow home wells and surface intake were compared and statistically significant differences were obtained at p < 0.05. The results of radon concentrations in drinking water in the Białystok area revealed radon-poor waters (88%) and low-radon waters (12%).
International Journal of Radiation Applications and Instrumentation. Part D. Nuclear Tracks and Radiation Measurements
Radon has two Facets. On the one hand, it poses grave health hazards to not only uranium miners but also people living in normal houses and buildings. On the other hand, it helps in mineral exploration, earthquake prediction, study of volcanic activities, and search for geothermal energy sources. Some of the characteristics of radon are now well known, while others are yet to be explored. It has proved to be a good friend and a powerful enemy at the same time. This paper is a brief introduction of the potential benefits and possible threats of radon and its daughters. KEYWORDS Radon; daughters; health hazards; sources; ventilation; safety measures. mineral exploration; earthquake prediction; geothermal energy RADON FAMILY Radon (Ra-222) is a radioactive gas with a half life of 3.824 days [1,2]. It is the immediate daughter of Radium-226, produced in the decay series of U-238. After formation, it fills various available spaces in the host matrix. The retained gas has been observed to migrate under different
Investigations on the presence and distribution of radon in the Cacica salt mine, Romania
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 2011
An important parameter for evaluating the possibilities of use of enclosed spaces (mines, caves, spas, etc.) for therapeutic purposes is the concentration of radon in different conditions of ventilation. The aim of this paper is to present the results of continuous radon gas measurement that were performed for ten days, at 20 min time intervals in different locations from Cacica salt mine (Romania) using a portable radon monitor. The average radon concentration was found to be between 96.5 ± 4.76 Bq/m 3 and 20.5 ± 1.30 Bq/m 3 . These values are suitable for therapeutic applications and are useful for future experiments regarding the development of the radon therapy and speleotherapy in this salt mine.
Health Physics, 2004
In an undisturbed area with little air circulation, the short-lived radon daughters will come into equilibrium with the parent radon, that is, the concentration (measured in Bq I m 3) of radon in air will be equal to the concentration of each of the daughters. However, due to removal processes such as ventilation, plateout ofradon daughters on surfaces, and attachment of these daughters on the aerosol, it is unlikely for radon and its daughters to be in equilibrium in the air. This implies that the concentration of radon daughters is usually less than that of radon in a given equilibrium mixture. A quantity that describes the state of disequilibrium between the concentration of radon and that of its daughters in air is called the equilibrium factor or the F factor. The radiological dose associated with a certain level of radon is determined by the daughter mixture in equilibrium with radon. Knowledge about the value of the F factor is therefore important for assessment ofradon dose delivered to human species due to inhalation of air contaminated with radon gas, especially in unventilated uranium-bearing underground mines where workers are usually exposed to higher levels of radon. The aim of this study was to calculate the equilibrium factor on different locations in the underground mining environment. This factor was calculated from the measured concentration ofradon and that of its short-lived daughters on different locations underground. The measurements of the concentrations were taken using two types of device, namely, scintillation cells and ML98B Radiation Spectrometer for Radon (ML98B RSR). The former were used to measure the concentration of radon and the latter was used to measure the concentrations of the daughters. On every location, the measurements of the scintillation cells and that of the ML98B RSR were taken simultaneously to ensure that the F factor was the same for both instruments. The results obtained indicate that the levels of concentration of radon and that of its short-lived daughters were different on different locations. The measured concentrations were later used to calculate the values of the F factor which also were different on different locations.
MONITORING OF RADON LEVELS IN SOME TOURISTIC UNDERGROUND ENVIRONMENTS FROM ROMANIA
The purpose of this research is to provide the distribution of radon levels in three underground environments of tourist interest from Romania (" Urşilor " Cave, " Muierilor " Cave and Turda Salt Mine). This study is of great interest since it identifies the values that could present a potential long-term health risk for the full-time staff (guides) spending extended periods conducting tours or carrying out maintenance within these underground environments and less for tourists. Furthermore, a possible relationship between the radon values and the local geology was disscused. Indoor radon concentrations were measured by using solid state CR-39 type RSKS nuclear track-etch detectors that were exposed from 3 to 6 months. The results reveal low radon levels in salt mine with the annual average concentration below the detection limit (around 8 Bq m-3), related to the salt plastic rock without fissures, fractures and consequently, without circulation pathways for radon into the salt mine chambers. This type of environment is proper to be used for speleotheraphy and spa tourism. " Muierilor cave " has relatively low radon concentration varying between 63 and 172 Bq m-3 , with only one value of 1184 Bq m-3 , as compared with " Urșilor " Cave, which values are in the range of 783-1795 Bq m-3 indicating the need of further long term monitoring by using both the passive and the active methods. Our results are comparable with radon concentration in different underground environments reported from other European surveys, lower than many of them. Geological background of these areas could sustain the measured values, on the one side due to the presence of granitic plutons and even the uraniferous mineralizations proximity, and on the other side due to the presence of limestone and its gneiss and mica-schist rocks basement that causes the low diffusion coefficient of radon.
2018
The study involved investigation of the relationship between the radon concentrations in the ground air – and thus in the indoor air – and the geological structure of the Lubelskie Voivodeship (eastern Poland). Both passive and active methods were used for measuring the radon concentrations in coal, phosphate and chalk mines, caves, wells as well as indoor environments. The study also included elemental, uranium and lead isotope analyses of rocks. The performed research showed that Paleogene and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks rich in radionuclides are the sources of radon in the Lubelskie Voivodeship. In the case of the buildings located in proximity to such rocks, characterized by relatively high radon exhalations, radon remediation methods are recommended. Already at the designing stage of buildings, the measures which protect against the hazardous radon gas should be applied.