Measurement of indoor radon concentration in the dwellings of Western Haryana, India, for health risk assessment

Abstract

Indoor radon studies have been carried out in 100 dwellings of 20 villages in western districts of Haryana, India, using the solid-state nuclear track detector technique. LR-115 Type II films in the bare mode were exposed for 1 year on a quarterly basis to cover all the four seasons for the measurement of indoor radon levels. The annual average indoor radon concentration in the study area varies from 126 to 546 Bq∙m −3 , with an average value of 252 Bq∙m −3 . Seasonal variation of indoor radon shows higher values in winter and lower values in summer. Lifetime fatality risk assessment and annual average dose received by the residents of the study area are also calculated to be within the recommended safe limit of 3–10 mSv per year. Hence, there is no significant threat to the residents due to presence of natural radon in the dwellings.