Re: Radon-Stirring the Pot

[Tom Mohaupt <tom.mohaupt@WRIGHT.EDU>]

Are glass-based radon detectors used for assessing home radon

concentrations for mitigation purposes? 



Glass-based radon detectors integrate the radon progeny over the time

period since the glass was made, and perhaps even before then depending on

type of sand used to make the glass. Glass-based radon detectors might be

appropriate to for epidemiology purposes providing you know the history of

the glass (i.e., was it bought new or used), the composition of the glass

(how much U is in the sand used to make it), and smoking history in the

residence and past residences. It would not be an effective means for

measuring radon concentrations, which becomes important for mitigation

purposes and relating the epidemiological assessment to other studies. For

this reason, epidemiologist must include track-etch measurements, even when

they use glass-based detectors for their correlation analyses. 



Note that the Mo study (Non-smoking women) was negative using track-etch

radon detectors. A second published version had a slightly positive

correlation when smokers were added and glass-based radon detectors were

used. When using track-etch radon detectors (i.e., the best method for

measuring long-term radon concentrations) both studies were negative.



Tom

-- 

Thomas Mohaupt, M.S., CHP

University Radiation Safety Officer



104 Health Sciences Bldg

Wright State University

Dayton, Ohio 45435

tom.mohaupt@wright.edu

(937) 775-2169

(937) 775-3761 (fax)



"An investment in knowledge gains the best interest." Ben Franklin

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