M R Baig
Keywords: Radon, transport, Saudi building, materials.
Abstract: Radon has been recognized by various international health organizations as a major lung carcinogen. The onset of cellular carcinogenesis involves DNA damage to bronchi epithelial cells by particles emitted by radon progeny. Radon diffusion is an important release mechanism for radon that is produced inside a building material. The physical parameter that characterizes this process is the radon diffusion coefficient D (m-2 s-1). The diffusion constant and diffusion length has been measured as 2.15 x 10-6 m-2 s-1, 1.01 m for soil, 1.65 x 10-6 m-2 s-1, 0.89 m for sand and 0.21 x 10-6 m-2 s-1, 0.31 m for Saudi crushed aggregate respectively. The values were found to be the lowest that shows that Saudi crushed aggregates are least permeable to radon flow as compared with the other building materials studied so far. The results obtained in this study are comparable worldwide.
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