Radon leakage assessment in a controlled radon laboratory

Abstract

As part of the activities to have a radon calibrated laboratory in Mexico, a DOSEman, an Alpha GUARD and a Germanium detector were used to measure the radon concentration of a radon source chamber. The two first detectors were also used to determine the radon concentration in the laboratory during normal operation of the chamber and under a controlled radon leakage experiment.
Radon concentration in the chamber was determined with the Germanium detector through the ã-emission from the radon decay products 214Bi and 214Pb. The error in those activity measurements was 3.5%. The difference between these measurements and the DOSEman was 3%. The experimental radon decay curve, as determined from the Alpha GUARD detector, differs 2% from the expected value.
The source radon chamber is located in a licensed 280 m3 volume laboratory. The radon chamber was left opened during a weekend to investigate the increase of the radon concentration in an extreme radon leakage case. The highest radon-concentration increase was 60% above background showing no working risk in the worst radon leakage case.