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The present work aims to assess the effective doses from long-term continual radon monitoring in six European caves (Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic), including influencing environmental factors. Caves are important radiation protection subjects because of elevated radon activity concentration (~kBq/m3), mostly due to the low natural ventilation. The sources of radon gas are most often underground rock layers and clastic sediments. The radon activity concentrations show seasonal variations, for which the outside temperature is the main driving force. The human health impact due to the radon inhalation in monitored caves was estimated through the annual effective dose, using the methodology provided by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP Publication 137). The annual effective dose could reach several tens of mSv, depending on the working hours spent in the underground. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work aims to assess the effective doses from long-term continual radon monitoring in six European caves (Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic), including influencing environmental factors. Caves are important radiation protection subjects because of elevated radon activity concentration (~kBq/m3), mostly due to the low natural ventilation. The sources of radon gas are most often underground rock layers and clastic sediments. The radon activity concentrations show seasonal variations, for which the outside temperature is the main driving force. The human health impact due to the radon inhalation in monitored caves was estimated through the annual effective dose, using the methodology provided by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP Publication 137). The annual effective dose could reach several tens of mSv, depending on the working hours spent in the underground., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Anomalies in the radon (222Rn) releases in underground environments are one of the phenomena that can be observed before earthquake occurrence. Continuous measurements of radon activity concentration, and of meteorological parameters that influence the gas emission, were performed in three Slovak and Czech caves during 1-y period (1 July 2016-30 June 2017). The radon activity concentration in caves shows seasonal variations, with maxima reached during summer months. The anomalies in the radon time series are identified using a combination of three mathematical methods: multiple linear regression, empirical mode decomposition and support vector regression. The radon anomaly periods were compared with earthquake occurrences in Europe. Coincidences between both phenomena were found, since all monitored caves reflect contemporaneous local tectonic changes. The results indicate that radon continuous monitoring could assist a better understanding of radon emissions, along active tectonic structures, during seismic events., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)