Determination of Indoor Radon Concentrations: The Example of Altinbas University

Radon gas, which is one of the natural sources of radiation, is abundant in rocks and soil and enters through openings and cracks in the foundation of the building and damages the human body. It is known that radon gas is the most important cause of lung cancer after smoking. Therefore, determination of indoor radon levels becomes important. In this study, it was aimed to determine the indoor radon activity concentrations on a floor basis in Altınbaş University SHMYO campus located in Bakırköy district of Istanbul province and to determine the annual effective dose equivalent (YEDE) and lifetime cancer risk (YKBR) considering the exposure of students and academicians to radon activity. Measurements were taken from the ground, sub-floor (B2, B3, B4) and above ground floors (4, 5, 6, 7, 8) at a height of approximately 70 cm from the ground using the Airthings brand Corentium Home Radon model device for 24 hours in 10 periods for each floor. The mean, highest and lowest radon concentrations were 4.24±0.04 and 3.65±0.03 pCi/L on the B2 and 4th floors, respectively. No significant difference was found in the statistical analysis performed with t-test for radon gas level between floors (p=0.1669). The average YEDE was calculated as 5.82E-01 mSv for students and 17.80E-01 mSv for academics. According to ICRP103, BEIR VII and ICRP60 reports, the average YKBR(%) for students were 2.32E00, 2.60E00 and 2.93E00, and the average YKBR(%) for academics were 7.10E00, 7.97E00 and 8.97E00. The radon activity concentrations determined on the floors of the Altınbaş University SHMYO building in Bakırköy were below the limit value of approximately 10 pCi/L (400 Bq/m-3) set by the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority