Radiation dose estimation for indoor radon, thoron and their progenies using a stochastic method—a small-scale survey in Wuhan, China.

Passive radon monitors with CR-39s are widely used in major epidemiological surveys. However, the conventional CR-39 track density determining strategy makes it difficult to accurately estimate the concentration because of the heterogeneity of tracks on CR-39s. This study introduced a stochastic method, Latin hypercube sampling, to improve the track density determining strategy and provide the probability distribution of ²²²Rn concentration and equilibrium equivalent thoron concentration. The first ²²²Rn and ²²⁰Rn discriminated survey was conducted in Wuhan, China, in 2018 using RADUET® and deposition-based passive ²²⁰Rn progeny monitors and applying the stochastic method to the measurement. The results indicate that the stochastic method could decrease the effects of the track heterogeneity on the CR-39s and provide reliable results. The ²²⁰Rn progeny contributed more than 40% of the total inhalation dose in the survey, which cannot be ignored in urban family dwellings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]