Preliminary integrated indoor radon measurements in Transylvania (Romania)

Abstract

Measurements of indoor radon concentrations were performed in 406 residential houses in five counties (Cluj, Bihor, Alba, Bistrita, and Sibiu) using Makrofol and CR-39 alpha-track detectors. From our measurements, an average indoor radon concentration of 82.5 Bq m(-3) for the Transylvanian population was calculated, i.e. an annual effective dose of 2.4 mSv for the whole body. The calculated dose is 62% higher than that previously reported but yet below the recommended action level of ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection). A log-normal distribution of the radon concentration was obtained for the studied counties, excluding some higher values from the Stei region--a radon-prone area in Transylvania. For the Stei region, the data show a dual log-normal distribution of the radon concentration with the second maximum being related to the houses built using uranium waste as a construction material. Assuming a cancer risk coefficient of 10(-4)/100 Bq m(-3) year(-1), one can estimate that about 600 lung cancer per year, for about 7,000,000 inhabitants of the Transylvania region, are due to radon inhalation.