Radioactive dose from inhalation of radon decay product aerosols

Radioactive dose from inhalation of radon decay product aerosols 

The largest proportion of the natural radiation dose to humans results from the inhalation of the short-lived radon decay products Po, Pb, and Po. During respiration these radioactive decay products of radon are deposited within different regions of the lung and can lead to substantial local doses there. For this reason, the natural radiation dose receives strong consideration in radiation protection. Thus, the surveillance of radon exposure in homes and in workplaces has emerged as an important operation. 

In all dosimetric models, the dominant parameter related to dose is the activity size distribution of the radon decay products in air as the original deposition destination and amount of 

In the estimation of the dose conversion factor, DCF, by dose model calculations, the activity size distribution in terms of potential alpha energy concentration (PAEC) is an important input parameter. For practical reasons related to measurements, the activity size distribution should be divided into three parts as follows  

These quantities depend strongly on the different interaction processes of the decay products in air like attachment to aerosol particles, cluster formation, neutralisation of the cluster, and plateout on surfaces and on composition and behaviour of the atmospheric air (number concentration and size distribution of the aerosol, humidity, trace gases, turbulence). 

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