Energy Sources, Vol.25, No.5, 467-477, 2003
Environmental risk of radon from soils in Southwest and Central Poland
Relatively few measurements of indoor radon are currently available for homes in Poland. To begin to estimate the risk of homes in Poland to indoor radon, measurements of radon emanation from soils were collected in portions of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, the Sudety Mountains, and overlying glacial sediments. Radon emanation data from the study areas characterized the coal basin as having a medium or low radon potential, but extreme variability in some study areas suggests that fracture zones with localized upward movements of radon do exist. Radon emanation measurements taken from study areas in the Sudetes Mountains suggest that soils over most of the granite units, plus soils over some of the local gneisses and schists, have a high radon potential. Radon emanation measurements taken from study areas in glacial sediments have a low to medium radon potential.