Main sources of indoor radon in the Swiss Central Alps

To estimate the amount of radon gas transferred from the water to the indoor atmosphere of dwellings in the Swiss Central Alps, the radon concentrations of tap water of about 50 public water supplies were analysed. The radon levels of water in alpine communities fit a lognormal distribution with a geometric mean of 26.5 Bq/1 and a geometric standard deviation of 3.15. Radon monitoring in typical homes in the Swiss Midland revealed a significant influence of wind velocity and temperature difference indoor/outdoor on the indoor radon-daughter levels during the winter period.