J. de la Torre Pérez

Additional contamination when radon is in excess.

A study of the behavior of the (222)Rn progeny on clothes, skin and hair has been performed in a place with very high radon concentration. In the past, radon concentration was established to be about 32 kBq/m(3) in a very high humidity environment inside a tourist cave in Extremadura (Spain). The results show that (222)Rn daughters are adhered on clothes, skin and hair, adding some radioactive concentration to that due to radon and its progeny existing in the breathable air.

Radon in workplaces in Extremadura (Spain).

Indoor radon measurements are usually associated with housing. However, a typical person spends about one-third of the day at their workplace. A survey was made of radon levels in workplaces in Extremadura (Spain). More than 200 measurements were performed in some 130 firms and organizations of different sectors (urban wellness centres, spas, caves, mines, water management facilities, underground carparks, wine cellars, museums, etc.). Activated charcoal canisters and track detectors were used for sampling. The results indicated the importance of performing this type of measurement because the exposure of workers can reach high values in some cases.

SOLANG: A user-friendly code to calculate the geometry factor using Monte Carlo simulations. Application to alpha-particle spectrometry

Monte Carlo simulation was applied to calculate the effective solid angle (or geometry factor) presented by a plane radioactive source at a detector entrance window. A fast and user-friendly computer program SOLANG was written to perform the calculations for disk or rectangular sources and circular non-coaxial detector disks. Results can be achieved with great precision, depending on the number of simulated trajectories. Some checks and applications to the calculation of efficiencies of semiconductor detectors and gas ionization chambers used to measure alpha particles are presented. Their results were very reliable. The code is available free of charge on request to the authors.

Portable alpha spectrometer

Many portable devices have been designed to detect γ-rays or alpha and beta particles. Most of the α-particle detectors give the total count as a result, without identifying the radionuclides existing in the sample. The development of a device allowing rapid and straightforward α-particle spectrometry would be very useful for detecting the radioactive contents of unknown samples. This work describes the construction of a portable device using silicon semiconductor detectors designed to rapidly detect and possibly identify alpha-emitting radionuclides.

Diamond detector for alpha-particle spectrometry.

An artificially grown high purity diamond was used as a detector for alpha-particle spectrometry. Diamond detectors can match the performance of silicon detectors employed in standard continuous air monitoring systems. Its radiation hardness and electronic properties make them ideal to work under extreme condition such as high temperature and ambient lights. A 50 μm thickness single-crystal diamond detector has been compared with a 300 μm passivated implanted planar silicon detector, under ambient conditions.

Influence of source composition and particle energy on the determination of gross alpha activity.

The influence of different source compositions and α-particle energies on the detection efficiency of a gas-flow proportional counter was examined using experimental measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. Efficiency variation with alpha-particle energy was very marked, being less significant with the substrate composition. These results show that the determination of gross alpha activity in an unknown sample must be carried out very carefully in order to give a correct estimation of its activity.

Determination of alpha activity in solid samples by leaching or digestion

The analysis of solid environmental samples by α-particle spectrometry generally involves processes requiring an initial treatment to destroy the complexes in the matrix, and dissolve the radionuclides of interest. This study compared the activities obtained for several natural radionuclides ((238)U, (234)U, (230)Th, (226)Ra, and (210)Po) in previously well-characterized materials, using two procedures: acid leaching and digestion in a microwave oven. The measured activities were in general very similar for the two procedures, with a strong statistical correlation between the two sets of values.

Experimental studies about the ratio between 210Po deposited on surfaces and retrospective indoor 222Rn concentrations

Measurements of radon concentration may not be sufficiently representative for the cumulative total exposure suffered by a person throughout his life. Retrospective dosimetry can help estimating from the direct measurement of 210Po (descendant of 222Rn) implanted on surfaces, because this quantity is related (through the conversion factor) with the mean indoor 222Rn concentration existing in a room for long time. This factor depends on multiple variables. Theoretical models can provide some values. Experiments are tedious and very time consuming. The 210Po activity concentration was measured in mirrors, which were previously exposed to 222Rn concentrations under real environmental conditions. This work deals with the preliminary results in two known places (a room and a cave), which have very different characteristics, in order to show experimentally the large differences found in the values of this factor.

Measuring radon concentrations and estimating dose in tourist caves

Caves and mines are considered to be places of especial risk of exposure to (222)Rn. This is particularly important for guides and workers, but also for visitors. In the Extremadura region (Spain), there are two cave systems in which there are workers carrying out their normal everyday tasks. In one, visits have been reduced to maintain the conditions of temperature and humidity. The other comprises several caves frequently visited by school groups. The caves were radiologically characterised in order to estimate the dose received by workers or possible hazards for visitors.

Gross alpha and beta indices in water samples revisited

Gross α and β indices for water samples are generally determined simultaneously when a gas-flow proportional counter is used. The thickness of the source and the α-particle energy are factors of great importance due to self-absorption or energy loss effects. Two variables have been studied: the use of different salts to produce standards with several thicknesses and the use of different radionuclides for the calibration process. Samples of known activity were prepared and measured for checking the procedures.