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Indoor radon concentration levels, gamma doserates and impact of geology – A case study in Kotli, State of AzadJammu and Kashmir, sub-Himalayas, in Pakistan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2012

A. Iqbal ,
M. Shahid Baig ,
M. Akram  and
A.A. Qureshi
A. Iqbal
Affiliation:
Department of PhysicsUniversity of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Muzaffarabad Azad Kashmir Pakistan
M. Shahid Baig
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Muzaffarabad Azad Kashmir Pakistan
M. Akram
Affiliation:
Physics DivisionPakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) P.O. Nilore Islamabad Pakistan
A.A. Qureshi
Affiliation:
Radiation Research labs, Comsats Inhalation Institute of Information Technology Islamabad Pakistan
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Abstract

Inhalation of indoor radon has been recognized as thelargest contributor to the total effective dose received by humanbeings. Indoor radon data were collected from the dwellings lyingon the sedimentary rocks (sandstones, siltstones and clays) ofthe Murree Formation, Nagri Formation, Dhok Pathan Formation, Mirpurconglomerate and surficial deposits of the Kotli area in Azad Jammuand Kashmir, Pakistan. Radon measurements were made using the passivetime-integrated method using Kodak CN-85 Solid-State Nuclear Track Detectors.The radon concentration in dwellings varied from 13 ± 6 Bq.m-3 to185 ± 23 B. qm-3, with an average of 73 ± 15 Bq.m-3.Theradon concentration in the Murree Formation, Nagri Formation, riverterrace and Dhok Pathan Formation were 89.7 ± 16.5, 72 ± 15, 68.5and 69 Bq.m-3, respectively. The average value of allthe measured concentrations (73 ± 15 Bq.m-3) within theframework of this study is more than the world average value of40 Bq.m-3 given by UNSCEAR (United Nations ScientificCommittee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, report to the GeneralAssembly, United Nations, New York, 2000) and is within the actionlevel of 200-600 Bq.m-3 fixed by the ICRP(InternationalCommission on Radiological Protection, ICRP publication65, Protectionagainst radon at home and at work, 1993). The ambient gamma doserates both indoors and outdoors in different parts of Kotli werealso measured. The average value of gamma absorbed dose rates prevailingin the indoor environment was 131.2 ± 16.6 nGy/h. The gamma exposurerates recorded outdoors were 35% lower than in the indoor environment.The measured gamma dose rates have a weak positive correlation withindoor radon concentration. The annual effective dose for inhabitantsin Kotli due to radon ranged from 0.32 to 4.7 mSv.y-1,with an average value of 1.8 mSv.y-1. This dose is relativelyhigher than the world mean dose of 1.15 mSv/y. That is explainedby the particular geology of the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir,and the method of construction of the dwellings.

Keywords

Indoor radongamma dose rateCN-85geologyKotliAzad Jammu and Kashmir
Type
Research Article
Information
Radioprotection , Volume 47 , Issue 2 , April 2012 , pp. 253 - 270
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2012

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