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http://dx.doi.org/10.7857/JSGE.2017.22.1.033

Measurement and Spatial Analysis of Uranium-238 and Radon-222 of Soil in Seoul  

Oh, Dal-Young (Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment)
Shin, Kyu-Jin (Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment)
Jeon, Jae-Sik (Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment)
Publication Information
Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment / v.22, no.1, 2017 , pp. 33-40 More about this Journal
Abstract
Identification of radon in soil provides information on the areas at risk for high radon exposure. In this study, we measured uranium-238 and radon-222 concentrations in soil to assess their approximate levels in Seoul. A total of 246 soil samples were taken to analyze uranium with ICP-MS, and 120 measurements of radon in soil were conducted with an in-situ radon detector, Rad7 at a depth of 1-1.5 m. The data were statistically analyzed and mapped, layered with geological classification. The range of uranium in soil was from 0.0 to 8.5 mg/kg with a mean value of 2.2 mg/kg, and the range of radon in soil was from 1,887 to $87,320Bq/m^3$ with a mean value of $18,271Bq/m^3$. The geology had a distinctive relationship to the uranium and radon levels in soil, with the uranium and radon concentrations in soils overlying granite more than double those of soils overlying metamorphic rocks.
Keywords
Radon in soil; Uranium in soil; Radon prone area; Radon in Seoul;
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