Abstract
Radon is the radioactive decay product of radium. This gaseous element and its progeny are major contributors to the population dose produced by environmental radioactivity. Radon enters the environment by exhalation from soil and rock and by effusion from ground and surface waters. Effusion or exhalation into poorly ventilated spaces can produce significant airborne concentrations of radon and its progeny. This paper describes a compact system for the extraction of radon from water samples for subsequent quantitation. The system can accommodate samples having different volumes. The volumes tested ranged from 130 to 455 mL. The limit of detection of the 155 mL sample, based upon a counting time of 1000 min, is 0.034 Bq/L (0.91 pCi/L) of water.