Seasonal variation in indoor radon concentrations in dwellings in six districts of the Punjab province, Pakistan

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Abstract
An indoor radon measurement survey has been carried out in six districts of the Punjab province. These included Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Narowal and Mandibahauddin districts. In each district, 40 representative houses were chosen and indoor radon levels were measured in these dwellings in autumn, winter, spring and summer seasons using CR-39 based NRPB radon dosimeters. After exposure to radon, the CR-39 detectors were etched in 25% NaOH at 80 degrees C and track densities were related to radon concentration levels. From the observed data, average radon concentration levels and a seasonal correction factor were calculated. The average Rn-222 concentration level was found to vary from 40 +/- 15 to 160 +/- 32 Bq m(-3) and 38 +/- 17 to 141 +/- 26 Bq m(-3) in the bedrooms and living rooms of the houses surveyed, respectively. The annual mean effective dose received by the occupants has been calculated using ICRP (1993 Ann. ICRP 23) and UNSCEAR (2000 Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation (New York: United Nations)); it varied from 1.2 to 1.7 mSv and from 1.8 to 2.4 mSv, respectively.