Studying the Variation of Indoor Radon Levels in Different Dwellings in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab, India

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the radon levels in different houses of different villages/towns of Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, India, using a time-integrated passive technique containing LR-115 Type II solid-state nuclear track detectors, to determine the health hazards. The measured annual average indoor radon concentrations and the annual effective dose in these houses varied from 84.93 to 128.53 Bq m−3 and 1.45 to 2.19 mSv y−1, respectively. The measured values of annual effective dose were less than the lower limit of the recommended action level (3–10 mSv). The winter to summer ratio was calculated for all the studied dwellings and this ratio varied from 0.83 to 3.14. In general, the indoor radon concentration was higher in winter season than in the summer season. The effect of ventilation conditions on measured radon levels inside dwellings was also discussed. The present indoor radon concentration values were on the higher side than the world average of 40 Bq m−3.