Indoor radon and gamma spectrometric measurements for the Erzincan Basin on North Anatolian Fault Zone, Turkey

Abstract

Indoor radon and soil radioactivity levels were determined for Erzincan province in Turkey. Indoor radon concentrations were determined in 89 dwellings using CR-39 passive Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTDs) for four seasons. The mean annual Rn-222 activity concentration was found to be 119 Bq.m(-3). In the winter season, indoor radon concentrations showed the highest values while the lowest values were observed in the summer season. A model was used to predict the number of lung cancer incidences due to inhalation of radon. The findings have indicated that radon is responsible for 13% of lung cancer incidences occurring in the Erzincan province. Since indoor radon concentration correlates with Ra-226 content in soil beneath the dwellings, soil samples were collected near the houses where indoor radon measurements were performed in order to seek a correlation. The Ra-226, Th-232, K-40 and Cs-137 activity concentration values were 52, 26, 649 and 9 Bq.kg(-1), respectively. The annual effective dose due to naturally occurring radionuclides was around 82 mu Sv.y(-1) which is higher than the world average value of 70 mu Sv.y(-1). The results of the present study are expected to be a useful baseline data for future studies.