Radon concentrations in air and water in the thermal spas of Ischia Island

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to give information about radon concentration in air and in water of 16 thermal spas of the Isle Ischia to assess the corresponding mean effective dose for workers. Measurements of air radon concentration were carried out by means of Electret Passive Environmental Radon Monitor (E-PERM) devices in long-term configuration, while radon activity concentration in water was measured using the same detectors in short-term configuration. In each plant, several kinds of rooms of different uses (office, muddy room, massage room, relax room, aerosol, mud pit and medical treatment room) were selected. Results show a great variability among the measurements relative to the different kinds of rooms of the spas. In some cases, the dose received by workers was higher than 3 mSv/y, which is the effective dose limit for occupational exposure imposed by Italian legislation.

Keywords

Radon E-PERM Thermal spas Effective dose Water Ischia Island

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