J Radioanal Nucl Chem DOI 10.

1007/s10967-011-1559-z

Measurements of indoor radon concentration levels in Kilis, Osmaniye and Antakya, Turkey during spring season
Bayram Can Cumhur Canbazoglu Nesli Albayrak Nilgun Celebi Mahmut Dogru

Received: 10 November 2011 Akademiai Kiado, Budapest, Hungary 2011

Abstract The fact that 50% of the natural radiation dose to which humans are exposed is caused by radon gas makes indoor radon measurements important. In this study, levels of indoor radon gas were measured in 204 houses in Kilis, Osmaniye and Antakya using passive nuclear track detectors. Cr-39 radon detectors were left in the living rooms of participants houses, then analyzed at the Radon Laboratory of Health Physics Department in Cekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center (CANEM) of Atomic Energy Agency of Turkey (TAEK). Average indoor radon activity concentrations for Kilis, Osmaniye and Antakya were 50 Bq/m3 (1.26 mSv/y), 51 Bq/m3 (1.29 mSv/y) and 40 Bq/m3 (1.01 mSv/y), respectively. Keywords Cr-39 Indoor radon Effective dose Chemical etching

Introduction Radon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless noble gas. It has three isotopes with natural origin as 222Rn, 220Rn and 219Rn, which have half-lives of 3.82 days, 55.6 s and 3.96 s, respectively. Atmospheric radioactivity at sea level generally occurs as a result of 220Rn, 222Rn and their decays. The main source of radon in air is the decay products of uranium in soil and rocks. Therefore, studies of radon densities are conducted in air, houses, soil, water and structural materials. The density of radon gas in open areas is rather low, due to the constant air circulation. However, this differs in enclosed areas, as the air circulation is signicantly low, especially in winter months, and therefore the radon level is high. People generally spend most of their times in indoor areas, and therefore measurement of indoor radon level is very important. Indoor radon levels depend directly on the level of natural uranium deposit in soil and rocks beneath the building, the radium level in the structural materials of the building, the water used in the building, the ventilation of the building and the season [1]. Annual effective dose to which humans are exposed due to natural radiations is 2.4 mSv, of which 1.4 mSv is caused by radon, thoron and their decay products [2]. Deposition of radon in enclosed areas may pose a risk to human health. In enclosed areas, radon and its products are attached to dust particles and enter the lungs by inhalation, where the alpha particles they produce damage lung tissues by irradiation. Some of the inhaled radon is carried to other parts of the body by dissolving in lung uid and may cause cancer by damaging some critical cells. Several studies have examined the radon concentrations due to radons effect on health [311]. The aim of this study is to determine the indoor radon concentration levels in Kilis, Osmaniye and Antakya and to determine the annual

B. Can C. Canbazoglu Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Kilis 7 Aralk University, 79000 Kilis, Turkey N. Albayrak N. Celebi TAEK, Cekmece Nuclear Research and Training Centre, Altns ehir Yolu, 5 km, Halkal, 34303 Istanbul, Turkey M. Dogru Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Bitlis Eren University, 13000 Bitlis, Turkey M. Dogru (&) Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Firat University, 23169 Elazig, Turkey e-mail: mdogru@rat.edu.tr; dogrum@gmail.com

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effective dose that humans are exposed to due to radon. The importance of this study is increased because radon measurement has not been conducted previously in this settlement area. Study area Kilis, which is in south-eastern Anatolian region of Turkey, is located between 36500 and 37560 east longitudes and 36380 and 37320 north latitudes (Fig. 1). Its population is 123,135 and it is divided into four administrative regions. Seventy percent (85,923) of the population lives in urban areas and 30% (37,212) in rural areas. Its surface area is 1,420 km2. Kilis has a Mediterranean climate, with an annual temperature of approximately 16.8 C and general annual precipitation is 515 mm. Osmaniye is located in the south of Turkey, between 37000 37080 N latitudes and 36130 36200 E longitudes (Fig. 1). It covers a surface area of 3,310 km2 and it is divided into seven administrative regions. Its elevation above sea level is 118 m. The total population of the province is 479,221, of which 346,707 (72%) live in urban areas and 132,514 (28%) live in rural areas. Osmaniye

province has characteristics typical of a Mediterranean climate, dened as hot and arid in summer and warm and rainy in winter with high humidity [12]. Antakya is the central district of Hatay province. It is located between 36060 36400 N latitudes and 36020 36390 E longitudes (Fig. 1). Its population is 461,477 and the surface area is 830 km2. It has Mediterranean climate, generally having hot ad arid summer and warm and rainy winter seasons. Average annual precipitation ranges between 570 and 1,160 mm [13]. Type of houses Most houses in study area are apartments and detached houses. These types of houses are constructed of brick and briquette walls and generally have a concrete oor and ceiling. The bricks are mainly produced from natural clay, which is compressed in combination with materials such as pebble stones, broken stones or sand. Bricks and briquettes used in these types of houses are covered with a mixture of sand, cement and water rendering. These materials are expected to contribute much more into indoor radon gas concentrations.

Fig. 1 Map of Turkey showing the study area

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Measurements of indoor radon concentration levels Table 1 Indoor District Kilis Osmaniye Antakya Manisa Kastamonu Giresun Tekirdag Batman Karabuk Istanbul The ranges corresponding to data are given in parentheses
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Rn activity concentrations and comparison with different parts of the Turkey Number of houses 62 70 72 Min. 5 6 4 Max. 171 209 135
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Rn activity concentrations (Bq/m3) 50 51 40 97 (47146) 98.4 (29177) 130 (52360) 87 84 (23145) 131.6 10260

Effective dose (mSv/y) 1.26 1.29 1.01 4.83 (2.357.3) 2.48 (0.734.46) 3 2.01 3.32 0.513

References Present study Present study Present study [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Fig. 2 Frequency distribution of the indoor radon concentration in Kilis

Fig. 3 Frequency distribution of the indoor radon concentration in Osmaniye

Materials and methods A Radosys radon measurement system (Radosys Co., Ltd.) was used for analysis. This system consists of three main sections, a Radosys-RSF type radon dosimeter with Cr-39 nuclear track detector, a radobath bath unit, where chemical etching of these detectors occurs, and a computer- aided radometer 2000, all of which were produced by the company. The Radosys-RSF type radon dosimeter has a screw cap and is 35 9 55 mm with cylindrical geometry, and is made from polypropylene. It is appropriate for use as an indoor dosimeter. The area of the Cr-39 detector is 1 cm2 and it is attached under the screw cap. The detectors were supplied by the Health Physics Department of the Cekmece Nuclear Research and Train ing Center (CANEM) of Atomic Energy Agency of Turkey (TAEK). A total 204 of houses were examined in Kilis, Osmaniye and Antakya provinces. Detectors were installed 1 m above oor-level away from doors and windows in the most commonly used room of the house and left there for 2 months. Detectors were then collected in aluminum folio coverage and transferred to the CNAEM health physics radon laboratory for analyses. Detectors were chemically etched in a 4 M NaOH solution bath unit at 60 C for 4 h.

After chemical etching, detectors were removed from the solution and washed with water. In order to remove chemical residues, the detectors were then left in a smaller ultrasonic bath with distilled water. After a drying period of 1 h, detectors were put into a radometer 2000 evaluation unit to count the number tracks on them. The track densities on detectors were determined automatically by a system with 5009 microscope and their radon activity concentrations were calculated.

Results and discussion Indoor radon concentration levels and their annual effective dose values for Kilis, Osmaniye and Antakya are given in Table 1. As can be seen in Table 1, indoor radon concentration levels for Kilis, Osmaniye and Antakya are 5171, 6209 and 4135 Bq/m3, respectively. Average radon concentration for Kilis, Osmaniye and Antakya were calculated as 50, 51 and 40 Bq/m3, respectively. The radon concentrations in Kilis and Osmaniye are above global average radon concentration (40.3 Bq/m3) while that for Antakya is slightly below the global average [14]. Average annual effective dose values for Kilis, Osmaniye and

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B. Can et al. Acknowledgments The authors acknowledge the assistance of the Cekmece (Istanbul) Nuclear Research and Training Center in ana lyzing the radon levels.

References
1. Durrani SA, Ilic R (1997) Radon measurements by etched track detectors: application in radiation protection, earth science and the environment. World Scientic, Singapore. ISBN: 98102 26667 2. UNSCEAR (1993) Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. Report of the United Nations Scientic Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation to the General Assembly, with scientic annexes, United Nations, New York 3. Oufni L, Misdaq MA, Amrane M (2005) Radon level and radon effective dose rate determination in Moroccan dwellings using SSNTDs. Radiat Meas 40:118123 4. Rahman SU, Raque M, Matiullah, Anwar J (2010) Radon measurement studies in workplace buildings of the Rawalpindi region and Islamabad capital area, Pakistan. Build Environ 45:421426 5. Somlai J, Hakl J, Kavasi N, Szeiler G, Szabo P, Kovacs T (2011) Annual average radon concentration in the show caves of Hungary. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 287:427433 6. Al Bosta MM, Al Radaideh JJ, Ismail AM (2010) Indoor 222Rn concentrations and the corresponding lung cancer risk in Celein region, west of Al Khums, Libya. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 285:641645 7. Rana BK, Tripathi RM, Meena JS, Sahoo KS, Topno R, Shukla AK, Puranik VD (2011) Assessment of radon concentration and external gamma radiation level in the environs of Narwapahar uranium mine, India and its radiological signicance. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 290:347352 8. Koksal EM, Celebi N, Ataksor B, Ulug A, Tas delen M, Kopuz G, Akar B, Karabulut MT (2004) A survey of 222Rn concentrations in dwellings of Turkey. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 259:213216 9. Sugino M, Tokonami S, Zhuo W (2005) Radon and thoron concentrations in ofces and dwellings of the Gunma prefecture, Japan. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 266:205209 10. Radolic V, Vukovic B, Stanic D, Katic M (2006) National survey of indoor radon levels in Croatia. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 269:8790 11. Misdaq MA, Ouguidi J (2011) Concentrations of radon, thoron and their decay products measured in natural caves and ancient mines by using solid state nuclear track detectors and resulting radiation dose to the members of the public. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 287:135150 12. Strategic Plan of Municipality of Osmaniye (2011) Municipality of Osmaniye, Osmaniye, Turkey 13. Strategic Plan of Municipality of Antakya (2011) Municipality of Antakya, Antakya, Turkey 14. UNSCEAR (2000) Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. Report of the United Nations Scientic Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation to the General Assembly, with scientic annexes, United Nations, New York 15. Thorne MC (2003) Background radiation: natural and man-made. J Radiol Prot 23:2942 16. Erees FS, Akozcan S, Parlak Y, Cam S (2006) Assessment of dose rates around Manisa (Turkey). Radiat Meas 41:598601 17. Kam E, Bozkurt A (2007) Environmental radioactivity measurements in Kastamonu region of northern Turkey. Appl Radiat Isot 65:440444

Fig. 4 Frequency distribution of the indoor radon concentration in Antakya

Antakya are 1.26, 1.29 and 1.01 mSv/y, respectively. When determining the annual effective dose, a dose conversion factor of 9 (nSv/h)/(Bq/m3) was used, occupancy factor was 0.8 and equilibrium factor was 0.4. The values recorded for Kilis and Osmaniye are higher than the global average (1.094 mSv/y), but they are lower in Antakya [15]. Indoor radon concentrations for Kilis, Osmaniye and Antakya are lower than the radon concentrations of other provinces of Turkey; however, radon distributions are not signicantly different between the study sites and other provinces of Turkey. The distribution of indoor radon levels among 62 houses in Kilis is shown in Fig. 2. Radon concentrations in 69% of the houses are lower than 61 Bq/m3, 26% of them range between 61 and 120 Bq/m3 and 5% of them range between 150 and 180 Bq/m3. The distribution for Osmaniye province is shown in Fig. 3. The radon concentrations of 63% of the houses (70 houses in total) in Osmaniye are lower than 51 Bq/m3, 30% of them range between 51 and 100 Bq/m3, and 7% of them range between 130 and 210 Bq/m3. The distribution of 72 houses in Antakya is shown in the graph in Fig. 4. The indoor radon concentrations of 82% of the houses are lower than 61 Bq/m3. The remaining 18% presents an almost homogenous distribution, ranging between 61 and 140 Bq/m3.

Conclusion In this study, indoor radon concentration level for Kilis, Osmaniye and Antakya were determined in a total of 204 houses. Average indoor radon concentrations are above the global average (40.3 Bq/m3) for Kilis and Osmaniye and slightly below the global average for Antakya. Average annual effective doses are higher than the global average (1.094 mSv/y) for Kilis and Osmaniye, and lower than the global average for Antakya. No signicant difference was found when the results of the study were compared with the data acquired from other provinces of Turkey.

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Measurements of indoor radon concentration levels 18. Celik N, Cevik U, Celik A, Kucukomeroglu B (2008) Determination of indoor radon and soil radioactivity levels in Giresun, Turkey. J Environ Radioact 99:13491354 19. Yarar Y, Gunaydi T, Kam E (2005) A radon survey in some regions of Turkey. Int Cong Ser 1276:385386 20. Damla N, Cevik U, Kobya AI, Ataksor B, Isik U (2010) Assessment of environmental radioactivity for Batman, Turkey. Environ Monit Assess 160:401412 21. Baldik R, Aytekin H, Erer M (2011) Radioactivity measurements and radiation dose assessments due to natural radiation in Kara buk (Turkey). J Radioanal Nucl Chem 289:297302 22. Koksal EM, Celebi N, Ozcinar B (1993) Indoor 222Rn concen trations in Istanbul houses. Health Phys 65(1):8788

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