Indoor radon monitoring in some buildings surrounding the national Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) project at upper Siang in Arunachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

In the present study measurement of radon and its progeny concentration has been undertaken in the buildings constructed in the surroundings of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). LR-115 Type-II solid state nuclear track detectors fixed on a thick flat card were exposed in bare mode. Track etch technique has been used to estimate the radon concentration in the rooms of some buildings. Annual effective dose has been calculated from the radon concentration to carry out the assessment of the variability of expected radon exposure of the population due to radon and its progeny. The radon levels in these dwellings vary from 9±4 to 472±28 Bq m -3 with an average value of 158±14.9 Bq m -3 whereas annual effective dose varies from 0.1±0.04 to 7±0.4 mSv y -1 with an average value of 2.3±0.2 mSv y -1 . These values are below the recommended action levels.