ABSRACT

Radon is a natural radioactive inert gas that is odorless, colorless and tasteless. It cannot be detected without special equipment and it occurs as a product of uranium decay. Radon is an unstable radionuclide that disintegrates through short lived decay products before eventually reaching the end product of stable lead. The short lived decay products of radon are responsible for most of the hazard by inhalation and ingestion. Radon and its decay products emit highly ionizing alpha-radiation in soil which eventually gets into the water underneath and this is how it gets to our water sources especially bore-hole and well. So this research work is to evaluate the radiation dose from radon in drinking water sources of sedimentary area of south-western Nigeria. Radon is the second cause of lung cancer in the general population, after smoking and so continuous ingestion of highly radon concentrated water increases our chances of having lung cancer. This research work is to provide data on the concentration of radon gas in soil samples of various communities in the south-western region, to acquire knowledge on the conditions required to ensure minimum levels of radon in the soil and also create awareness on the risk of radon exposure to the general public. The determination of radon-in-water concentrations is generally done in the laboratory by use of equipment called RAD7; this equipment removes the dry radon gas from the water sample and gives the respective concentration on the monitor. The paper discusses results of laboratory experiments and all experimental set-ups and experimental results discussed in the paper are supported by due theoretical considerations with the help of my supervisors and laboratory technicians.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENT  ............. PAGE

Title page………………………………………………………………………………………….i

Certification……………………………………………………………………………………….ii

Dedication………………………………………………………………………………………...iii

Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………….iv

Table of content…………………………………………………………………………………..v

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………...ix

CHAPTER ONE: Introduction

1.1 Background of study…………………………………………………………………………..1

1.2 Radon……………...……………………………………………………………………….….2

1.3 Problem statement……………………………………………………………………………..3

1.4 Objective of the study ………………………………………………………………………...4 

1.5 Scope of the study……………………………………………………………………………..4

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Radiation………………………………………………………………………………………5

2.1.1 Types of radiation…………………………………………………………………………...5

2.1.2 Alpha particles……………………………………………………………………………....5

2.1.3 Beta particles………………………………………………………………………………..6

2.1.4 Gamma particles…………………………………………………………………………….7

2.2 Unit of Radon…………………………………………………………………………...…….8

2.3 Effect of Radon in our Environment…………………………………………………….……9

2.3.1 Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)…………………………………………9

2.3.2 Uranium……………………………………………………………………………………10

2.3.3 Radium……………………………………………………………………………………..12

2.4 Radon………………………………………………………………………………………...14

2.4.1 Isotopes of Radon………………………………………………………………………….16

2.4.2 Sources of Radon…………………………………………………………………………..16

2.4.3 Radon Progeny……………………………………………………………………………..17

2.4.4 Properties of Radon………………………………………………………………………..18

2.4.5 Physical Properties…………………………………………………………………………19

2.4.6 Chemical Properties………………………………………………………………………..19

2.5 Radon in drinking water……………………………………………………………………..20

2.6 Health effect of lung cancer………………………………………………………………….20

2.6.1 Benefit of Radon …………………………………………………………………………..23

2.7 How does Radon gets into Houses……………………………………...……………………23

2.7.1 Suggested treatment for Radon in water……………………………….………………….25

2.7.2 Alpha Detector (RAD7)……………………………………………………………………25

2.8 Liquid sanitation counter (LSC)……………………………………………………………..27

2.8.1 Nuclear Track Detector (NTR)…………………………………………………………….31

2.8.2 Gamma spectrometry (GS)………………………………………………………………...32

CHAPTER THREE: MATERIALS AND METHOD

3.1 Sampling Location…………………………………………………………………………...34

3.2 Geology of the studied Area…………………………………………………………………34

3.3 Sample Collection…..………………………………………………………………………..38

3.4 Sample Technique…..………………………………………………………………………..39

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 Result and Discussion..………………………………………………………………………40

4.2 Result and Discussion..………………………………………………………………………41

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION

5.0 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………...42

5.1 Recommendation…………………………………………………………………………….42

5.2 References……………………………………………………………………………………43