Assessment of exposure to the population of Moscow from natural sources of radiation

A model has been developed to assess exposure to the residents of Moscow, Russia from external (cosmic rays and terrestrial gamma rays) and radon exposures. This model accounts for different factors (demographic, social, materials of buildings, etc.) affecting the exposures considered and is based on contemporary measurement data. Ten administrative districts of Moscow were considered separately with respect to both external and internal exposures to the residents. The population-weighted average radon concentration in dwellings in Moscow, determined on the basis of the results of indoor surveys, is estimated to be about 82 Bq m(-3). Current estimates of annual collective effective doses to the residents in Moscow city (8,638,100 people) are (1) 6300 man Sv with a 68% confidence interval of 5900-7300 man Sv from external gamma-exposure and (2) 12,000 man Sv with a 68% confidence interval of 8000-16,000 man Sv from radon. The annual per caput effective dose is estimated to be 0.73 mSv from external gamma-exposure and about 1.4 mSv from radon. About 4300 people (0.05% of total) receive an annual effective dose from radon above 5 mSv. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.