Indoor radon and airborne particles

Abstract

Daily radon fluctuations were monitored in dwellings located in the State of Mexico and in Mexico City in order to assess the expected fluctuations in a short term monitoring basis. The radon monitoring was performed with Honeywell A9000 A devices that record radon and daughters using silicon detectors. Airborne particle fluctuations were also determined using a Personal Data- Logging Real-time Aerosol Monitor. The results indicate an indoor radon average value of 22 Bq/m3. Discrete values one order of magnitude higher than the mean were observed, mainly between midnight and early morning. The airborne particles in the bed- room showed daily average values of 0.08 mg/m3. Experiments with smokers indicated fluctuations in the airborne particle con- centrations that depend on the ventilation and the number of smokers in the room.