Determinación de la concentración de radón-222 en el suelo del paramo de navag

Abstract

In Ecuador, the research about on radon-222 in soil is limited, where most of the research is carried out by the GIDAC, as such this presents a great disadvantage as a country by not knowing the processes that occur within our soils and the importance that they have in our lives. The present study has as an objective to estimate the concentration of radon 222 in the soil of the Navag moor in the province of Chimborazo and measure the exhalation rate superficial and mass. Two sectors were determined in the study area: Southeast and Northwest with 20 sampling points in total. The radon concentration in soil was measured with a silicon detector incorporated into the RAD-7 monitor and a stainless-steel probe. In addition, the radon-222 exhalation rate of soil samples collected at a depth of 1 meter at two sampling points in different sectors was calculated using a Lucas Pylon cell. Radon concentrations in the Southeast sector ranged between 2660 ± 120 and 19500 ± 322 Bq/m3 , and in the Northwest sector the values fluctuated from 6440 ± 184 to 23000 ± 352 Bq/m3 . In the Southeast, the surface and mass exhalation rates presented values of 0.705 Bq/m2 h and 0.032 Bq/kg h respectively, while in the Northwest they were 0.708 Bq/m2 h and 0.034 Bq/kg h respectively. In this study, the concentrations in the soil are high and the exhalations of the soil samples are low, so it can be assumed that radon comes from depths greater than 1 meter.