Determination of Radon-222 and Thoron Concentration in Decorative Stone Warehouses Indoor Air and the Received Effective Dose by Staff

Radon is a colorless, odorless, and radioactive gas that can be emitted from decorative stones such as granite, marble, etc. Inhaling radon gas in a long period may cause for incidence of lung cancer among peoples.
Material and In this cross-sectional descriptive study, Radon 222 and Thoron concentrations in background and indoor air were measured in four decorative stones warehouse using portable radon meter(RTM1688-2 model). Totally, 24 samples of 24- hours concentrations in indoor air and 24 samples of 4-hours concentrations of Radon 222 and thoron in the background air at three stages were measured. Then, received effective dose of Radon 222 and Thoron was calculated by UNSCEAR equations.
The mean radon concentrations for indoor and background air were 74±37 and 34±16 Bq/m3, respectively. The mean radon concentrations for indoor air in decorative stones warehouses for DSW1, DSW2, DSW3 and DSW4 were 72.50±34, 98.25±43, 34.42±18 and 88.92±51 Bq/m3, respectively. The received effective dose mean of Radon 222 and Thoron by the staff at 8 working hours was 0.53±0.18 and 0.05±0.03 mSv/y and in 16 working hours was 1.05±0.36 and 0.11±0.07 mSv/y, respectively. Generally, the mean received effective dose by staff from Radon at 8 and 16 working hours was 0.58±0.2 and 1.16±0.41 mSv/y, respectively.
Radon concentration mean in indoor air and the received effective dose mean by staff was lower than the standards level. Decorative stone warehouses were the resources for accumulation of Radon gas that can be reduced by corrective actions.