Examining the relationship between lung cancer and radon in Turkey's dwellings

by Meltem DEGERLIER (Nevşehir University - Physic Dept. (Turkey))

Monday 13 Dec 2010, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Rome

LAE meeting room (INFN LNL)

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive noble gas, the most important source of natural ionizing radiation and it is a tasteless, unscented and colorless gas which is eight times heavier than the air. Inhalation of radon and its decay products is responsible of about half of the annual average effective dose received by the human due to natural sources of radiation. A correlation exists between exposure to high levels of radon and lung cancer. The indoor radon concentration in Adana Turkey was measured in living rooms of 52 houses during winter and 57 houses during summer. Forty four houses were selected for both winter and summer researches for estimating seasonal variations. Indoor radon concentrations were measured seasonally over hotter and colder 2 months over the whole year, using CR 39 passive nuclear track radon detectors. The radon concentrations were ranged from 15 to 97 Bq m-3 on January February for 60 d and from 5 to 70 Bq m-3 on June July for 60 d. The average summer concentration measured was 25.8 Bq m-3 and the average winter concentration was 48.9 Bq m-3 in 44 houses that observed seasonal variations. The differences between winter and summer periods were ranged from 1 to 77 Bq m-3 . The average value in both winter and summer periods is 37 Bq m-3 in 44 houses that observed seasonal variations. This value is below the worldwide indoor radon concentration distribution of 46 Bq m-3. The annual effective dose equivalent from Rn-222 was 0,9 mSv/y.