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Indoor radon concentration measurements at the site of thefirst nuclear power plant in Egypt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2014

A.S. Hussein
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Abstract

Radon (222Rn) is aradioactive gas that occurs naturally when uranium in soil and rock breaks down. Long-termexposure to 222Rnincreases the risk of lung cancer. The principal objective of this work was to determinethe 222Rn activityconcentration in an indoor air environment at the El-Dabaa site proposed for a nuclearpower plant project in Egypt using the track etch technique with LR115 detectors. Theannual average indoor 222Rn activity concentration in apartment buildings variesfrom 24 to 77 Bq.m-3, with a mean value of 54 Bq.m-3. The annual effective dosereceived by residents of the studied area was estimated to be 0.41 mSv. The annualestimated effective dose is less than the recommended action level by ICRP(3−10 mSv.y-1). The results from this workprovide a radiological assessment program and update the background of the naturalradioactivity map at the El-Dabaa site.

Keywords

Radonenvironmental samplesEl-DabaaLR115 detectorsnuclear power
Type
Brief Report
Information
Radioprotection , Volume 49 , Issue 3 , July 2014 , pp. 201 - 203
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2014

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