Volume traps - a new retrospective radon monitor

摘要

A new method to trace back average radon concentrations in dwellings over several decades in time has been developed. This retrospective radon monitor is based on the measurement of the alpha activity of (sup 210)Po deposited in volume traps, for example spongy materials used for mattresses and cushions. Polyester samples with different densities have been exposed to radon-laden air. The exposures correspond to characteristic radon concentrations between 390 Bq/m(sup 3) and 3.9 Bq/m(sup 3) over a 20 years period. The precision in converting the (sup 210)Po signal to the radon exposure has been improved by more than one order of magnitude compared to other common techniques. It is shown that this very sensitive method may be applied to almost all types of volume traps used in households. (Atomindex citation 27:041047)