Study of radium and radon exhalation rate in soil samples from areas of northern Rajasthan

The health hazards of the radioactive gas radon on the humans are well known. Radon from soil gas is the main cause of radon problems. The “can technique” using LR-115 type II plastic track detectors have been used for the measurement of radon exhalation rate in soil samples from areas of northern Rajasthan, India. The radon exhalation values were calculated in terms of mass (EM) and area (EA). The mass exhalation rate in these samples vary from 8.27 to 23.19 mBq kg−1 h−1 with an average of 14.96 mBq kg−1 h−1, whereas, surface exhalation rate vary from 273.80 to 768.04 mBq m−2 h−1 with an average of 495.32 mBq m−2 h−1. The radium concentration ranges from 6.88 to 19.31 Bq kg−1 with an average value of 12.45 Bq kg−1. The observed values of effective radium concentration in all the soil samples are less than the permissible value of 370 Bq kg−1 as recommended by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Hence, the result shows that this area is safe as for as the health hazard effects of radium and radon exhalation rate are concerned.