Radon concentration and gamma exposure in some Kosovo underground mines

Abstract

Background: In this study are submi ed the radon concentra on measurement results of four underground mines: Stanterg, Artana, Hajvali and Badovc, which are owned by Trepça Enterprise, Kosovo. The mines have the same geological forma on and from these mines are extracted ores rich with lead, zinc, silver, and gold. The radia on exposures caused by radon and radon daughters was determined and gamma dose measurements were also performed in the same me. Materials and Methods: The measurement of radon concentra ons in the environment of mines is carried out by CRM 510, a portable device which con nuously made measurement for four consecu ve days. The gamma exposure was determined using fully portable handheld instrument GR-130 Exploranium. The detector consisted of a 65 cm3 sodium iodide NaI(Tl) and a GM tube. The system was calibrated against a 137Cs standard and checked for stability using a low-ac vity 9 kBq radioac ve source. Results: The radon gas concentra on for underground mines under study varied from minimal values 60 Bqm-3 to maximal recorded value 748 Bqm-3. The average radon concentra on for mines Stanterg, Artana, Hajvali and Badovc are 301.6, 191.4, 463.2 and 527.2 Bqm-3, respec vely. Conclusion: The average of total annual effec ve doses from radon concentra on and radon decay products for miners under the study is 2.67 mSv and just from gamma ray exposure is 0.26 mSv. The average values for radon concentra on and radon decay products to mines under the study are lower than ac on level 1000 Bq m-3 given by IAEA.