Radon measurements in underground workplaces in the Campus of the University of Alicante
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/ic.12.093Keywords:
Underground construction, electret, natural radiation, indoor radonAbstract
Measurements of radioactive radon gas in underground workplaces in the Campus of the University of Alicante were performed using short period E-PERM® devices during the winter of 2010 and summer of 2011. The obtained radon concentrations show maximum values of 73.8 Bq/m3 in winter and 84.0 Bq/m3 in summer, and an arithmetic mean of 30.3 Bq/m3. Despite not considering annual mean concentrations, results are below those included in 90/143/Euratom European Commission Recommendation on the protection of the public against the dangers of radon exposure inside buildings, as well as those established by the Nuclear Security Council IS-33 Instruction in workplaces, contributing to the evaluation of the national distribution of radon and paying attention to radon problems in underground spaces.
Downloads
References
(1) WHO. (2000). Air Quality Guidelines for Europe. WHO Regional Publications, European Series, N.º 91. Copenhagen.
(2) WHO. (2009). Handbook on indoor radon. A public health perspective.
(3) IAEA. (2003). Radiation protection against radon in workplaces other than mines. Safety Report Series, 33. International Atomic Energy Agency. Viena.
(4) NTP 440. (2003). Radón en ambientes interiores. Notas Técnicas de Prevención. Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo, Madrid.
(5) NTP 533. (2003). El radón y sus efectos sobre la salud. Notas Técnicas de Prevención. Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo, Madrid.
(6) NTP 728. (2003). Exposición laboral a radiación natural. Notas Técnicas de Prevención. Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo, Madrid.
(7) UE. Directiva 96/29/EURATOM del Consejo de 13 de mayo de 1996 por la que se establecen las normas básicas relativas a la protección sanitaria de los trabajadores y de la población contra los riesgos que resultan de las radiaciones ionizantes. Diario Oficial n° L 159 de 29/06/1996.
(8) UE. Draft European Basic Safety Standards Directive. Versión 24 febrero 2010.
(9) UE. Recomendación 90/143/EURATOM de la Comisión de 21 de febrero de 1990 relativa a la protección de la población contra los peligros de una exposición al radón en el interior de edificios. Diario Oficial n° L 080 de 27/03/1990.
(10) Real Decreto 783/2001, de 6 de julio, por el que se aprueba el Reglamento sobre protección sanitaria contra radiaciones ionizantes. BOE n.º 178. Madrid, 2001.
(11) Real Decreto 1439/2010, de 5 de noviembre, por el que se modifica el Reglamento sobre protección sanitaria contra radiaciones ionizantes, aprobado por Real Decreto 783/2001, de 6 de julio.
(12) Instrucción IS-33, sobre criterios radiológicos para la protección frente a la exposición a la radiación natural. Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, 2012.
(13) ICRP 65. (1993). Protection against 222Rn at home and at work, International Commissionon Radiological Protection.
(14) Quindós-Poncela, L., Fernández-Navarro, P., Sainz-Fernández, C., Gómez-Arozamena, J., Bordonoba-Perez, M. (2004). Radon exposure in uranium mining industry vs. Exposure in tourist caves. Radiation Protection Dosimetry,111: 41-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/rpd/nch357 PMid:15367766
(15) Lario, J., Sánchez-Moral, S., Cañaveras, J. C., Cuezva, S., Soler, V. (2005). Radon continuous monitoring in Altamira Cave (northern Spain) to assess user's annual effective dose. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 80: 161-174. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2004.06.007 PMid:15701381
(16) Dueñas, C., Fernández, M. C., Cañete, S., Pérez, M., Gordo, E.(2011). Seasonal variations of radon and the radiation exposure levels in Nerja cave, Spain. Radiation Measurements, 46: 1181-1186. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2011.06.039
(17) Pinza-Molina, C., Alcaide, J. M., Rodriguez-Bethencourt, R., Hernandez-Armas, J. (1999). Radon exposures in caves of Tenerife (Canary Islands). Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 82: 219-224. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.rpd.a032628
(18) Martín, A., De la Torre, J., Ruano, A. B., Naranjo, F. L. (2012). Radon in workplaces in Extremadura (Spain). Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 107: 86-91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2012.01.009 PMid:22326021
(19) Font, Ll., Baixeras, C., Moreno, V. (2008). Indoor radon levels in underground workplaces of Catalonia, Spain. Radiation Measurements, 43: S467-S470. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2008.04.036
(20) Quindós, L. S., Fernández, P. L., Soto, J. (1995). Study of areas of Spain with high indoor Radon. Radiation Measurements, 24(2): 207-210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/1350-4487(94)00108-D
(21) Sainz, C., Dinu, A., Tiberius Dicu, T., SzacsvaI, K., Cosma, C., Quindós, L. S. (2009). Comparative risk assessment of residential radon exposures in two radon-prone areas, ?tei (Romania) and Torrelodones (Spain). Science of the Total Environment, 407: 4452-4460. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.04.033 PMid:19428051
(22) Barros-Dios, J. M., Ruano-Ravina, A., Gastelu-Iturri, J., Figueiras, A. (2007). Factors underlying residential radon concentration: Results from Galicia, Spain. Environmental Research, 103: 185-190. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2006.04.008 PMid:16729995
(23) Piedecausa-García, B. (2012). La vivienda tradicional excavada: las casas-cueva de Crevillente. Análisis tipológico y medidas de calidad del aire (Tesis doctoral). Universidad de Alicante.
(24) Papachristodoulou, C. A., Patiris, D. L., Ioannides, K. G. (2010). Exposure to indoor radon and natural gamma radiation in public workplaces in north-western Greece. Radiation Measurements, 45: 865-871. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2010.02.018
(25) Kotrappa, P., Dempsey, J. C., Stieff, L. R. (1993). Recent advances in electret ion chamber technology for radiation measurements. Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 47: 461-464.
(26) Kotrappa, P., Dempsey, J. C., Stieff, L. R., Ramsey, R.W. (1990). A practical electret passive environmental radon monitor for indoor radon measurements. Health Physics, 58: 461-467. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00004032-199004000-00008 PMid:2323927
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2013 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© CSIC. Manuscripts published in both the print and online versions of this journal are the property of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and quoting this source is a requirement for any partial or full reproduction.
All contents of this electronic edition, except where otherwise noted, are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You may read the basic information and the legal text of the licence. The indication of the CC BY 4.0 licence must be expressly stated in this way when necessary.
Self-archiving in repositories, personal webpages or similar, of any version other than the final version of the work produced by the publisher, is not allowed.
