MEASUREMENTS OF RADON CONCENTRATION IN SOIL GAS BY SCINTILLATION CELLS IN KOSOVO

Radon-222 is a natural radioactive gas emanated by Radium (Ra-226) radioactive decay and is found in the Earth’s crust with different concentrations. The release of Radon from rocks and soils penetrate into air and dwellings, therefore the study and identification of areas with the high Radon concentration in soil gas is of particular importance. The measurement of radon concentration is necessary because of radiation health risk, which Radon represent for human being and environment. In this study the measurements of the Radon concentration in soil gas is made with PRM 145 apparatus based in alpha scintillation cells in 20 locations of Kosovo, with a total of 51 points. Radon concentration measurements vary from 2800 Bq/m3 up to 99999 Bq/m3 with an averaged value of 22000 Bq/m3. These measurements represent the first efforts for measuring the Radon concentration in soil gas in Kosovo. Based in the given results one can conclude that the average Radon concentration in soil gas is of the same range with average Radon concentration found for the region countries. The studies are planned to continue by increasing the number of locations and points of measurements.