Radon concentrations on the nuclear and radioactive instalations of nuclear reactor center ??? CRPQ/IPEN

• Autor(a) principal: SILVA, PAULO S.C. da
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: CAMPOS, MARCIA P. de, REIS, GUILHERME de L., INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR ATLANTIC CONFERENCE
• Tipo de documento: Artigo de conferência
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional do IPEN
• Texto Completo: http://repositorio.ipen.br/handle/123456789/30903

Nuclear and radioactive workers are normally exposed to dose resulting from their day by day activities. Besides that, the ubiquitous radon distribution can also contribute for the exposure rates. The radionuclide 222Rn is a noble gas belonging to the uranium series and its indoor concentration in the air depend on exhalation from surrounding soil and on exhalation from building materials. Radon emanating from porous building materials may achieve large relevance in areas with high uranium concentrations and areas with limited ventilation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the 222Rn concentrations in the radiochemistry and radiometric laboratories and in the reactor nuclear building of the Nuclear Reactor Center (CERPq) located in the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN). Measurements were done by using a Radon Gas Monitor, model RAD7, produced by Durridge Company equipped with a solid state alpha detector and a passive method, with SSNTDs placed within small diffusion chambers, as detectors square pieces (2.5 cm ?? 2.5 cm) of CR 39 foils were used. The CR 39 detectors were etched in KOH 30% solution at 80 ??C for 5.5 h in a constant temperature bath. After etching, the detectors were washed, dried, and scanned under a Carl Zeiss microscope to obtain the track density measurements. The activity concentrations varied from 52 to 103 Bq m 3 for the measured areas in CERPq. These values are in accordance with what is stablished by the World Health Organization for safe environments of 100 Bq m 3.