Re: Radon Health Risks

[BERNARD L COHEN <blc+@PITT.EDU>]

On Tue, 22 Jan 2002, Rad health wrote:



>

> Dr. Cohen,

>

> I read that, but I also read a paper by Field and Kross that showed there

> were precision problems with your detectors. Am J Public Health 1990

> Aug;80(8):926-30

> Field comparison of several commercially available radon detectors.

> Field RW, Kross BC.

> University of Iowa, Institute of Agricultural Medicine and Occupational

> Health, Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, Iowa

> City 52242.



> To determine the accuracy and precision of commercially available radon

> detectors in a field setting, 15 detectors from six companies were exposed

> to radon and compared to a reference radon level. The detectors from

> companies that had already passed National Radon Measurement Proficiency

> Program testing had better precision and accuracy than those detectors

> awaiting proficiency testing. Charcoal adsorption detectors and diffusion

> barrier charcoal adsorption detectors performed very well, and the latter

> detectors displayed excellent time averaging ability. Alternatively,

> (Cohen's) charcoal liquid scintillation detectors exhibited acceptable

> accuracy but poor precision, and bare alpha registration detectors showed

> both poor accuracy and precision. The mean radon level reported by the bare

> alpha registration detectors was 68 percent lower than the radon reference

> level.



	--I assume that you added "(Cohen's) in the above. We made

measurements with both types of charcoal detectors and constantly checked

one against the other (8 of each in a radon chamber side by side every

week for a few years. Both of our detectors passed all National Radon

Measurement Proficiency Program tests, twice a year (if I remember right)

for several years. I published several papers on our measurement

techniques and quality assurance programs -- references to these are on

my web site.



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