Assessment of the residential radon concentrations in the Bakony Region, Hungary

Objective: To investigate the current levels of indoor radon activity in the geologically complex Bakony Region of Hungary, which has been historically affected by industrial activities, and to identify areas that may require further monitoring and intervention. Methods: Experiments were carried out...

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Main Authors: Zsolt Homoki, Gergely Tóth, Anita Csordás, Edit Tóth-Bodrogi, Miklós Hegedűs, Tibor Kovács
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Radiation Medicine and Protection
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666555724000753
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author Zsolt Homoki
Gergely Tóth
Anita Csordás
Edit Tóth-Bodrogi
Miklós Hegedűs
Tibor Kovács
author_facet Zsolt Homoki
Gergely Tóth
Anita Csordás
Edit Tóth-Bodrogi
Miklós Hegedűs
Tibor Kovács
author_sort Zsolt Homoki
collection DOAJ
description Objective: To investigate the current levels of indoor radon activity in the geologically complex Bakony Region of Hungary, which has been historically affected by industrial activities, and to identify areas that may require further monitoring and intervention. Methods: Experiments were carried out to measure quarterly indoor radon activity concentrations in ground-floor dwellings for a year using CR-39-type nuclear track detectors at 30 locations in 9 settlements to provide current information on the Bakony Region and identify areas requiring further attention. Results: Since the annual average indoor radon activity concentration in the Bakony Region was 86 Bq/m3 and the maximum 274 Bq/m3, that is, less than the 300 Bq/m3 national and EU reference levels, it is considered safe. Two locations were equal to or exceeded the reference level during part of the year. While most of the Region exhibited high radon concentrations in the autumn and winter, two settlements presented inverse seasonal variations. Conclusion: Although the autumn and winter values yielded a strong correlation with the annual mean and each other, this was not the case regarding the summer and spring values. The annual mean effective dose for the Region from the inhalation of radon and its progenies was estimated to be 2.2 ​mSv/year.
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publishDate 2024-12-01
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series Radiation Medicine and Protection
spelling doaj-art-d4330960f8f74efc9813f1f5fa9d3ff02025-08-20T02:30:30ZengElsevierRadiation Medicine and Protection2666-55572024-12-015424324710.1016/j.radmp.2024.08.003Assessment of the residential radon concentrations in the Bakony Region, HungaryZsolt Homoki0Gergely Tóth1Anita Csordás2Edit Tóth-Bodrogi3Miklós Hegedűs4Tibor Kovács5Department of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, HungaryDepartment of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, HungaryDepartment of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, HungaryDepartment of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, HungaryDepartment of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, HungaryCorresponding author.; Department of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, HungaryObjective: To investigate the current levels of indoor radon activity in the geologically complex Bakony Region of Hungary, which has been historically affected by industrial activities, and to identify areas that may require further monitoring and intervention. Methods: Experiments were carried out to measure quarterly indoor radon activity concentrations in ground-floor dwellings for a year using CR-39-type nuclear track detectors at 30 locations in 9 settlements to provide current information on the Bakony Region and identify areas requiring further attention. Results: Since the annual average indoor radon activity concentration in the Bakony Region was 86 Bq/m3 and the maximum 274 Bq/m3, that is, less than the 300 Bq/m3 national and EU reference levels, it is considered safe. Two locations were equal to or exceeded the reference level during part of the year. While most of the Region exhibited high radon concentrations in the autumn and winter, two settlements presented inverse seasonal variations. Conclusion: Although the autumn and winter values yielded a strong correlation with the annual mean and each other, this was not the case regarding the summer and spring values. The annual mean effective dose for the Region from the inhalation of radon and its progenies was estimated to be 2.2 ​mSv/year.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666555724000753222RnIndoor radonCR-39SSNTDNRPB
spellingShingle Zsolt Homoki
Gergely Tóth
Anita Csordás
Edit Tóth-Bodrogi
Miklós Hegedűs
Tibor Kovács
Assessment of the residential radon concentrations in the Bakony Region, Hungary
Radiation Medicine and Protection
222Rn
Indoor radon
CR-39
SSNTD
NRPB
title Assessment of the residential radon concentrations in the Bakony Region, Hungary
title_full Assessment of the residential radon concentrations in the Bakony Region, Hungary
title_fullStr Assessment of the residential radon concentrations in the Bakony Region, Hungary
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of the residential radon concentrations in the Bakony Region, Hungary
title_short Assessment of the residential radon concentrations in the Bakony Region, Hungary
title_sort assessment of the residential radon concentrations in the bakony region hungary
topic 222Rn
Indoor radon
CR-39
SSNTD
NRPB
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666555724000753
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AT anitacsordas assessmentoftheresidentialradonconcentrationsinthebakonyregionhungary
AT edittothbodrogi assessmentoftheresidentialradonconcentrationsinthebakonyregionhungary
AT mikloshegedus assessmentoftheresidentialradonconcentrationsinthebakonyregionhungary
AT tiborkovacs assessmentoftheresidentialradonconcentrationsinthebakonyregionhungary