Passive integrating radon studies for environmental monitoring in Sirsa district, Haryana, India using solid state nuclear track detectors

Indoor radon studies have been carried out in the environs of some areas of Sirsa district, Haryana, India using LR-115 type II plastic track detectors. LR-115 Type II films in the bare mode were exposed for one year on three month basis to cover all seasons for the measurement of indoor radon levels. The work has been undertaken for health risk assessment. The average radon concentration in dwellings in most of the villages falls in the action level (200-600 Bq m(-3)) recommended by International Commission on Radiological Protection. The radon values in some of the dwellings exceed the action level and may be unsafe from the health hazard point of view. The variation due to the ventilation conditions and contribution of building materials to the indoor radon in dwellings are also discussed. The positive values of winter/summer ratio of radon concentration also confirm that level of radon concentration is high in winters as compared to the summers.