{"title":"Real time monitoring of Rn-222 in workplaces and estimation of working time correction factor","authors":"I. Dimitrova, V. Todorov, S. Georgiev, K. Mitev","doi":"10.1016/j.radmeas.2024.107359","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The potential of electronic monitors for evaluating radon exposure is still not fully harnessed, and tests under real conditions are scarce. Ten workplaces were continuously monitored for a year with the radon measurement network of Sofia University, with calibrated and metrologically assured RadonEye +2 monitors. In 7 of the workplaces the average activity concentration of radon during the working time was significantly lower than the total time average. This difference is attributed to behavioral patterns. The ratio of the working time and the total time average (called working time correction factor <em>k</em><sub>WT</sub>) for the whole year ranged from 0.71 to 0.98. Its weekly values varied significantly with coefficients of variation between 9 and 28%. Therefore, using short term estimates of <em>k</em><sub>WT</sub> to correct the total time radon average determined by passive detectors could lead to bias.</div><div>The workplaces also exhibited different seasonal radon patterns, although most were offices with similar schedules. In most pairs of workplaces the monthly averages were correlated very weakly or even negatively. This indicates that seasonal radon variations could be specific to each workplace. The value of <em>k</em><sub>WT</sub> also varied with the season, suggesting that seasonal variations of radon during working hours might differ from those observed with passive integrating detectors.</div><div>Overall, long-term follow-up by metrologically assured electronic monitors could help to improve and personalize the estimate of radon exposure of workers. These monitors could potentially support smart anti-radon systems with optimal operation schedules, thereby contributing to the reduction of the energy impact of buildings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21055,"journal":{"name":"Radiation Measurements","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 107359"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Radiation Measurements","FirstCategoryId":"101","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S135044872400307X","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NUCLEAR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The potential of electronic monitors for evaluating radon exposure is still not fully harnessed, and tests under real conditions are scarce. Ten workplaces were continuously monitored for a year with the radon measurement network of Sofia University, with calibrated and metrologically assured RadonEye +2 monitors. In 7 of the workplaces the average activity concentration of radon during the working time was significantly lower than the total time average. This difference is attributed to behavioral patterns. The ratio of the working time and the total time average (called working time correction factor kWT) for the whole year ranged from 0.71 to 0.98. Its weekly values varied significantly with coefficients of variation between 9 and 28%. Therefore, using short term estimates of kWT to correct the total time radon average determined by passive detectors could lead to bias.
The workplaces also exhibited different seasonal radon patterns, although most were offices with similar schedules. In most pairs of workplaces the monthly averages were correlated very weakly or even negatively. This indicates that seasonal radon variations could be specific to each workplace. The value of kWT also varied with the season, suggesting that seasonal variations of radon during working hours might differ from those observed with passive integrating detectors.
Overall, long-term follow-up by metrologically assured electronic monitors could help to improve and personalize the estimate of radon exposure of workers. These monitors could potentially support smart anti-radon systems with optimal operation schedules, thereby contributing to the reduction of the energy impact of buildings.
期刊介绍：
The journal seeks to publish papers that present advances in the following areas: spontaneous and stimulated luminescence (including scintillating materials, thermoluminescence, and optically stimulated luminescence); electron spin resonance of natural and synthetic materials; the physics, design and performance of radiation measurements (including computational modelling such as electronic transport simulations); the novel basic aspects of radiation measurement in medical physics. Studies of energy-transfer phenomena, track physics and microdosimetry are also of interest to the journal.
Applications relevant to the journal, particularly where they present novel detection techniques, novel analytical approaches or novel materials, include: personal dosimetry (including dosimetric quantities, active/electronic and passive monitoring techniques for photon, neutron and charged-particle exposures); environmental dosimetry (including methodological advances and predictive models related to radon, but generally excluding local survey results of radon where the main aim is to establish the radiation risk to populations); cosmic and high-energy radiation measurements (including dosimetry, space radiation effects, and single event upsets); dosimetry-based archaeological and Quaternary dating; dosimetry-based approaches to thermochronometry; accident and retrospective dosimetry (including activation detectors), and dosimetry and measurements related to medical applications.
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
分享
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
扫码关注我们
