Effective and organ doses from thoron decay products at different ages

The dosimetry of radon-220, often known as thoron, and its decay products has received less attention than has that of radon-222. Dose coefficients used by international bodies such as UNSCEAR and ICRP and by the UK's former National Radiological Protection Board are based on calculations from the 1980s. We present calculations for thoron decay products using the most recent ICRP models. These indicate that the effective dose is dominated by the doses to lung and that, under the present models, these doses are somewhat higher than under the previous consensus. Conversely, the present models give doses to organs outside the respiratory tract that are somewhat lower than those previously calculated. Dose coefficients for children are somewhat higher than those for adults. However, breathing rates for children are lower than those for adults and there are no great differences in annual doses.