Assessment of Indoor and Outdoor Radon Levels in South Lebanon

Mohammed A. Kobeissi; Omar El Samad; Khaled Zahraman; Ibrahim Rachidi

doi:10.1007/s13753-014-0029-y

Article Contents

Article Navigation > International Journal of Disaster Risk Science > 2014 > 5(3): 214-226

Mohammed A. Kobeissi, Omar El Samad, Khaled Zahraman, Ibrahim Rachidi. Assessment of Indoor and Outdoor Radon Levels in South Lebanon[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2014, 5(3): 214-226. doi: 10.1007/s13753-014-0029-y

Citation:

Mohammed A. Kobeissi, Omar El Samad, Khaled Zahraman, Ibrahim Rachidi. Assessment of Indoor and Outdoor Radon Levels in South Lebanon[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2014, 5(3): 214-226. doi: 10.1007/s13753-014-0029-y

Citation:

PDF

Assessment of Indoor and Outdoor Radon Levels in South Lebanon

doi: 10.1007/s13753-014-0029-y

1 Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, National Council for Scientific Research, Riad Elsolh, Beirut, Lebanon;
2 Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences(I), The Lebanese University, Hadeth, Beirut, Lebanon

Available Online: 2021-04-26

Abstract

Abstract

The presence of high indoor radon concentrations, C_x, is a major concern of the public worldwide. Measurements of indoor radon in South Lebanon have been achieved using CR-39 detectors. C_x values ranged between 30 and 122 Bq m^-3 in one of the major towns in the area and are compared with measured atmospheric air Radon. Moderate seasonal variation of C_x indoors has been observed, although 90 % of the obtained indoor C_x measurements are below 100 Bq m^-3. Some homes produced C_x readings above the permissible limit. Results showed that the ventilation effect played a major factor in reducing radon concentration levels indoors. Health assessment has been considered. Annual effective doses of radon varied from 1.01 ±0.10 to 8.65 ±0.50 mSv a^-1 in six homes in one of the four cases studied. These dosage values are above the permitted limit of 2.5 mSv a^-1. Several types of granite contained in the studied homes were identified and their contributions to radon levels indoors were calculated.
- Building materials,
- CR-39,
- Effective dose,
- Granite exhalation rate,
- Lebanon,
- Radon risk assessment

FullText(HTML)

References(33)

References

Abdallah, S.M., R.R. Habib, R.Y. Nuwayhid, M. Chatila, and G. Katul. 2007. Radon measurements in well and spring water in Lebanon. Radiation Measurements 42(2):298-303.

Abu-Jarad, F., J.H. Fremline, and R. Bul. 1980. A study of radon emitted from construction materials using plastic α-track detectors. Physics in Medicine & Biology 25(6):483-694.

Al-Jarallah, M.I. 2001. Radon exhalation from granite used in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 53(1):91-98.

Barros-Dios, J.M., A. Ruano-Ravina, J. Gastelu-Iturri, and A. Figueras. 2007. Factors underlying residential radon concentration:Results from Galcia (Spain). Environmental Research 103(2):185-190.

Chen, J., N.M. Rahman, and I.A. Atiya. 2010. Radon exhalation from building materials for decorative use. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 101(4):317-322.

El-Amri, E.A., M.I. Al-Jarallah, F. Abu-Jarad, and E.A. Fazal-yr-Rehman. 2003. Uniformity in radon exhalation from construction materials using can technique. Radiation Measurements 36(3):453-456.

El-Dine, N.W., A. El-Shershaby, F. Ahmed, and A.S. Abdel-Haleem. 2001. Measurements of radioactivity and radon exhalation rate in different kinds of marbles and granites. Applied Radiation and Isotopes 55(6):853-860.

Environmental Health and Engineering. 2008. Assessing exposure to radon and radiation from granite countertops. Needham, MA:Environmental Health and Engineering.

Font, L.L., C. Baixeras, C. Domingo, and F. Ferdandez. 1999. Experimental and theoretical study of radon levels and entry mechanisms in a Mediterranean climate house. Radiation Measurements 31:277-282.

Hassan, M.N.M., M. Hosoda, K. Iwaoka, A. Sorimachi, J. Miroslaw, K. Chutima, S.S. Kumar, and T. Ishikawa. 2011. Simultaneous measurement of radon and thoron released from building materials used in Japan. Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology 1:404-407.

Khan, A.J., R. Prasad, and R.K. Tyagi. 1992. Measurements of exhalation rate from some building materials. Nuclear Tracks and Radiation Measurements 20(4):609-610.

Kobeissi, M.A., O. El-Samad, K. Zahraman, S. Melki, F. Bahsoun, and K.M. Abumrad. 2008. Natural radioactivity measurements in building materials in South Lebanon. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 99(8):1279-1288.

Kobeissi, M.A., O. El-Samad, and I. Rachidi. 2013. Health assessment of natural radioactivity and radon exhalation rate in granites used as building materials in Lebanon. Radiation Protection Dosimetry 153(3):342-351.

Lawrence, C.E., R.A. Akber, A. BollhÖfer, and P. Martin. 2009. Radon-222 exhalation from open ground on and around uranium mine in the wet-dry tropics. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 100(1):1-8.

Maged, A.F., and F.E. Ashraf. 2005. Radon exhalation rate of building materials used in Egypt. Environmental Geochemistry and Health 27(5-6):485-489.

Maged, A.F., and E. Borham. 1997. A study of radon emitted from various building materials using alpha track detectors. Radiation Measurements 28(1):613-617.

Mireles, F., M.L. Garcia, L.L. Quirino, J.I. Davila, J.L. Pinedo, C. Rios, M.E. Montero, L. Colmenero, and L. Villaba. 2007. Radon survey related to construction materials and soils in Zacatecas, Mexico using LR-115. Radiation Measurements 42(8):1397-1403.

Nassiri, P., H. Ebrahimi, and P.J. Shalkouhi. 2011. Evaluation of radon exhalation rate from granite stone. Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research 70(3):230-231.

Nazaroff, W.W., and A.V. Nero Jr. (eds.) 1988.Radon and its decay products in indoor air. New York:John Wiley and Sons.

Nicolopoulos, D., and A. Louizi. 2008. Study of indoor radon and radon in drinking water in Greece and Cyprus:Implication to exposure and dose. Radiation Measurements 43(7):1305-1314.

Papaefthymiou, H., and O. Gouseti. 2008. Natural radioactivity and associated radiation hazards in building materials used in Peloponnese, Greece. Radiation Measurements 43(8):1453-1457.

Rahman, S.U., J. Anwar, and Matiullah. 2008. Measurement of indoor radon concentration levels in Islamabad, Pakistan. Radiation Measurements 43(S1):S401-S404.

Sajo'-Bohus, L., J. Pa"falvi, F. Urbani, D. Castro, E.D. Greaves, and J.A. Liendo. 1999. Environmental Gamma radon dosimetry in Venezuela. Radiation Measurements 31:283-286.

Sharma, D.K., A. Kumar, M. Kumar, and S. Singh. 2003. Study of uranium, radium and radon exhalation rate in soil samples from some areas of Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, India, using solid-state nuclear track detectors. Radiation Measurements 36:363-366.

Singh, B., and H.S. Virk. 1996. Effect of soil and sand moisture content on radon diffusion using plastic track etched detector. Radiation Measurements 26(1):49-50.

Singh, S., R. Malhotra, J. Kumar, and L. Singh. 2001. Indoor radon measurements in dwellings of Kulu area, Himachal Pradesh, using solid state nuclear track detectors. Radiation Measurements 34:505-508.

Singh, S., D.K. Sharma, and A. Kumar. 2004. Environmental radon studies using solid state nuclear track detectors. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 76(3):369-376.

Singh, H., J. Singh, S. Singh, and B.S. Bajwa. 2008. Radon exhalation rate and uranium estimation study of some soil and rock samples from Tusham ring complex, India using SSNTD. Radiation Measurements 43(S1):S459-S462.

UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation). 1993. United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of atomic radiation sources and effects of ionizing radiation. New York:United Nations.

UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation). 2000. United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of atomic radiation. Annex A:Exposure from natural sources. New York:United Nations.

Walley, C.D. 1988. A braided strike-slip model for the northern continuation of the Dead Sea Fault and its implications for Levantine tectonics. Tectonophysics 145(1-2):63-72.

Walley, C.D. 1998. Some outstanding issues in the geology of Lebanon and their importance in the tectonic evolution of the Levantine region. Tectonophysics 298(1-3):37-62.

WHO (World Health Organization). 2009. Handbook on indoor radon. Geneva:World Health Organization.

Relative Articles

Supplements(0)

Cited By

Proportional views