Mapping Indoor Radon Concentrations: a Preliminary Study in Safi, Morocco

抄録

The quality of indoor air and its ef fects on residents’ health have become an increasing concern in recent years. Among the critical sources of indoor air pollution is radon, known as the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking¹⁾. In this study, radon concentrations were measured for the first time in 50 homes in Safi city, Morocco, using LR-115 detectors. The annual effective dose and Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk were also estimated. The measured radon concentrations ranged from the Limit of Detection to 132 Bq.m^-3 with an arithmetic mean of 53 Bq.m^-3. The results indicated that 58% of the obtained values exceeded the global average (39 Bq.m^-3). Inhabitants of the surveyed houses were found to receive a mean annual effective dose of 1.5±0.1 mSv.y^-1, corresponding to an Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk of 0.6%. Importantly, all annual effective dose values remained below the ICRP action level of 3-10 mSv.y^-1. An indoor radon distribution map was generated using the Ordinary Kriging, based on the collected data.