Action B2: Indoor radon long-term passive monitoring at Caprarola, Celleno and Ciampino municipalities
In the period from 15th November to 7th December 2018, long-term indoor radon surveys by using passive detectors (Radosys RSK) were carried out in public and private buildings of the Municipality of Caprarola, Celleno (VT) and Ciampino (RM) municipalities.
The Radosys RSK are small cylinders made of PVC consisting of a container (diffusion chamber) in which is housed a particular polymer sensitive to alpha radiation emitted by 222Rn. These devices do not require electric power and are placed in strategic points of the building for 3/4 months, to be picked up and analyzed. They are not harmful and can be easily handled without any danger. As a result of the analyses, the average concentration of indoor radon in the exposure period is obtained. In the three municipalities involved in the Respire project, after a campaign of awareness and information to citizens, it was offered the opportunity to participate in the monitoring of indoor radon in their homes for free.
This initiative was successful and dosimeters were placed in almost 150 private homes and 18 public buildings, including 12 schools (Caprarola: 100 private and 5 public buildings; Ciampino: 21 private and 11 public buildings; Celleno: 22 private and 2 public buildings) . The surveys will be replicated in the same buildings during the spring-summer period, in order to have a wide spectrum of measurement values and to highlight a possible seasonality in the variation of the average values of the indoor radon concentration.
Passive detector Radosys RSK type device (measures in mm).
Furthermore, in this action, measurements of gamma radioactivity were carried out in the municipalities of Caprarola and Celleno in the rooms where the dosimeters were placed. The measurements were accomplished in three different points of the room: in the middle of the room, on the floor and on the wall. This survey will provide information about the source of radon, especially in the higher floors that are not affected by the ground soil/rock, and will be a support for citizens and for the development of researches on radon risk prevention.
