Rafat M. Amin
Indoor radon studies have been carried out in some dwellings of Jazan province, Saudi Arabia using CR-39 plastic track detectors. The study has been undertaken for the purpose of health risk assessments. The CR-39 detectors were placed in the bedrooms, guest rooms and living rooms, and exposed for one year. The annual average indoor radon concentration in dwellings varies from 18.2±5.5 to 41.4±10.4 Bqm−3 with a mean value of 31±6.6 Bqm-3, which is well within the recommended action level. The seasonal variations of indoor radon reveal the maximum values in winter and minimum in summer. Mean concentrations amount to 27.4, 35.7 and 31.7 Bqm-3in the living rooms, guest rooms and bedrooms, respectively. The lowest radon concentration (22.7±4.9 Bq m-3) was found in Jizan, whereas the highest was found in Samtah (35.7±8.2 Bq m-3). The annual estimated effective dose received by the residents of the studied area was found to vary from 0.47 ± 0.05 to 1.06 ± 0.14 mSv y−1 with the mean value of 0.80±0.08 mSv y−1. The lifetime fatality risk is found to vary from 0.29 to 0.65%. The results have been compared with the results reported in other areas of the same country and in others countries. All the values of radon concentration, effective dose and fatality risk in all dwellings under test were found to be quite lower than the permissible value recommended by UNSCEAR and ICRP
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