A Preliminary Study to Determine the Radon Exhalation Rates of Soil Samples at Different Depths

Abstract

The radon area exhalation rate and mass exhalation rate of the soil samples collected from five different depths from soil surface with 20 cm intervals of a construction site at Kütahya, Turkey was determined by using the E-Perm detectors. Accumulator method is used to determine the radon concentration of the soil samples. Radon concentration of the soil samples were measured between 34 ± 4.4 Bq.m-3 to 86 ± 6.8 Bq.m-3 with an average value of 48.6 ± 5.1 Bq.m-3 for five days analysis time. Radon area exhalation rate of the soil samples were calculated between 163.7 ± 21.3 and 413.1 ± 32.6 mBq.m-2.h-1 with an average of 233.2 ± 24.4 mBq.m-2 .h-1. Radon mass exhalation rate of the soil samples were found between 32.9 ± 4.3 to 83 ± 6.6 mBq.kg-1.h-1 with a mean value of 46.9 ± 4.9 mBq.kg-1.h-1. The radon contribution to the indoor air from soil samples is estimated as 6.5 Bq.m-3.