Determination of radon, thoron and their progeny concentrations in dwellings of Gogi region, Yadgir District, Karnataka, India

Radon, thoron and its (α-emitting) decay products contribute to more than 50% of the total effective dose due to natural background radiation. Hence, it is very important to simultaneously measure radon and their progeny concentrations in indoor environment to assess appropriate inhalation dose. In the present work, 222 Rn (CRn ), 220 Rn (CTn ) and their progeny concentrations (EECRn and EECTn ) were measured inside the dwellings of Gogi region, Yadgir District, Karnataka, India. The dwellings were so chosen that they were within 5 km range from the uranium mining area. Measurements were carried out using passive detector systems: Pinhole dosimeters for radon and thoron; deposition based progeny sensors for radon and thoron progeny. The monitoring was carried out during April-July, 2013. The inhalation doses assessed from the measured gas and progeny concentrations in different type of dwellings were found to be within the permissible UNSCEAR limits.