Abstract
Radon concentrations were measured with a passive radon detector from April 1998 through June 1999 in the Fukuoka Tenjin Underground Shopping Center to assess the dose affecting workers because of radon progeny inhalation. The radon concentration during the period was distributed from a range of 1.9 to 13.6Bq/m3. The arithmetic average concentration was estimated to be 6.9±2.4Bq/m3. The radon level was lower than that in dwellings in Japan and other countries. No spatial distribution of radon concentration was found in that area. From continuous measurement, the radon concentration was found to be high from midnight to noon and low in the afternoon. Little difference was noted between the daily average radon concentration and that during working hours. There was no seasonal variation. The equilibrium factor of 0.21±0.10 was obtained during working hours. The activity-weighted size distribution of radon progeny was evaluated by using the number distribution of ambient aerosols and the classical attachment theory. Consequently, the activity median diameter was 150nm. The unattached fraction of radon progeny was estimated to be 0.025 with an empirical equation. The annual effective dose of workers at the Tenjin center was calculated with the dose conversion factor from the UNSCEAR 1993 report and estimated to be 0.024mSv/y.
