The influence of meteorological parameters on indoor radon in selected traditional Kenyan dwellings

Abstract

The effects of outdoor temperature, rainfall and wind speed on the indoor radon concentration in four types of traditional hut in Kenya were investigated by performing short-term (about 48 h) measurements with activated charcoal canisters. The concentrations vary widely (30.2-315.4 Bq m(-3)) during the study period, and the overall mean is 170.3 +/- 39.6 Bq m(-3). The indoor radon concentration correlates negatively with both the outdoor temperature (R(2) = 0.06) and the wind speed (R(2) = 0.11) but positively with rainfall (R(2) = 0.03). The results showed that changes in meteorological parameters cause more variations in indoor radon concentrations than the differences in the buildings' characteristics (i.e., designs, materials, etc). However, these variations are not significant (at 1% significance level).