Thoron levels in the dwellings of Hyderabad city, Andhra Pradesh, India

Thoron and its progeny concentration levels were measured in the urban Hyderabad area using solid state nuclear track detector (SSNTD) based dosimeters. Measurements were carried out on quarterly cycles making four measurements at each location in a calendar year. More than 100 dwellings of different construction types were chosen for the study across 3 Hyderabad city. The thoron concentration levels were found to vary between 8 and 330 Bq m(-3). The geometric mean value of thoron concentration was found to be 37.3 Bq m(-3) (GSD = 2.3) with an average of 55 +/- 57 Bq m(-3). Results were analysed for different category of houses with respect to their construction type. It was found that the dwellings with mud flooring had higher thoron levels. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.