RADON EXHALATION FROM SOIL AND ITS DEPENDENCE FROM ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Geophysics
• Radiological Science

Background:

• Radon exhalation from soil is a significant factor in indoor radon concentration.
• Accurate measurement of radon exhalation rates is crucial for environmental monitoring and risk assessment.
• Existing methods for measuring radon exhalation can be labor-intensive and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate an automated exhalometer for continuous measurement of soil radon exhalation rates.
• To investigate the daily and seasonal variations in radon exhalation.
• To assess the influence of environmental parameters on radon exhalation rates.

Main Methods:

• Development of an automatic exhalometer system featuring a pneumatic accumulation chamber, PC-based control, Lucas cells, and environmental sensors.
• Deployment of the exhalometer in an undisturbed meadow for year-long (2015) continuous monitoring.
• Determination of radon exhalation rate based on the increase of radon concentration within the accumulation chamber.

Main Results:

• The daily radon exhalation rate varied from 2.5 to 50.7 Bq m-2 h-1, with an average of 25.3 Bq m-2 h-1.
• Significant daily and seasonal variations in radon exhalation were observed, peaking in the afternoon and spring.
• The study discussed the dependence of radon exhalation on various environmental parameters.

Conclusions:

• The developed exhalometer system is reliable and suitable for long-term measurements of soil radon exhalation.
• Environmental factors significantly influence radon exhalation rates, necessitating continuous monitoring.
• The findings contribute to a better understanding of radon transport in the soil-environment system.