United States
Environmetal Protection
Agency
Office of Radiation Programs
National Air and Radiation
Environmental Laboratory
1504 Avenue A
Montgomery, AL 36115-2601
EPA 520/5-90-032
November 1990
Radiation
NAREL Standard Operating
Procedures for Radon-222
Measurement Using Diffusion
Barrier Charcoal Canisters

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                                        EPA 520/5-90-032
             NAREL STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR
RADON-222 MEASUREMENT USING DIFFUSION BARRIER CHARCOAL CANISTERS
                          David J.  Gray
                         Sam T. Windham
                          November  1990
              U.S.  Environmental Protection Agency
                  Office of Radiation Programs

      National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory
                         1504 Avenue A
                Montgomery, Alabama  36115-2601

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                            CONTENTS
I.   Introduction  	    1







II.  Materials and Equipment 	    2



     A.   Canisters	    2



     B.   Counting System  	    2



     C.   Calibration Chamber  	    4



     D.   Standards	    7







III. Laboratory Methods  	    9



     A.   Canister Preparation 	    9



     B.   Calibration  	    9



     C.   Calculation of Radon	16



     D.   Calculation of Minimum Detectable Activity . .   20



     E.   Quality Assurance  	   22







IV.  Survey Methods	25



     A.   Shipping of Canisters	25



     B.   Deployment	25



     C.   Forms	26



     D.   Time Restrictions	26



     E.   Reporting	29
                                11

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             NAREL Standard Operating Procedures for



Radon-222 Measurement Using  Diffusion Barrier Charcoal  Canisters







I.   Introduction







     Activated charcoal has a strong affinity for several gases



and vapors,  including radon-222 (hereafter referred to as radon).



Radon is sorbed onto the charcoal grains and decays to several



particulate decay products: radium A (polonium-218); radium B



(lead-214);  radium C (bismuth-214); radium C' (polonium-214); and



radium D (lead-210).  Radon concentration is determined by



counting the gamma ray emissions of both lead-214  (295 KeV and



352 KeV) and bismuth-214 (609 KeV).  This is possible due to the



relatively short half-lives of these progeny.  Within three hours



the progeny are in equilibrium with radon-222.







     The passive nature of activated charcoal allows both



adsorption and desorption of radon, and, since the adsorbed radon



undergoes radioactive decay during the exposure period, the



ability of the non-diffusion barrier (open-faced) canister to



uniformly integrate over the entire exposure period can be



impaired.  To help alleviate this problem, the EPA open-faced



canister was modified by inserting a polyethylene membrane



between the retaining screen and the carbon bed.  This decreased



the water vapor and radon adsorbed by the carbon, reduced the



rate of adsorption/desorption between the carbon and the



environment, and improved integration capability.

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II.  Materials and Equipment



A.   Charcoal Canister



     The diffusion barrier charcoal canister used by EPA consists

of an 8 ounce metal can with lid (4 inch diameter by 1 1/8 inch

deep); 70+1 grams of 6 X 16 mesh activated charcoal;  a metal

screen with an openness of at least 30 to 50 percent; a 1.25 mil

polyethylene membrane containing twenty 0.091" diameter holes;

a removable, internally expanding retaining ring; a pad material

attached to the inner surface of the lid; and a 13-inch strip of

pliant vinyl tape.  The materials are assembled as seen in

Figure 1.



     The activated charcoal must have low radioactivity content.

Specifically, gamma emitters, except for natural potassium-40,

must be less than 0.2 picocuries per gram.



B.   Counting System



     The following components make up the counting system used by

EPA's National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory

(NAREL)*:  3"  by  3"  sodium-iodide detector  and  photomultiplier

tube inside counting shield; a high voltage power supply;
      In  March  of  1990,  the  Eastern  Environmental  Radiation
Facility was renamed the National Air and Radiation Environmental
Laboratory, coinciding  with the  move to  the  new  laboratory  on
Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery,  Alabama.

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       Polyethylene membrane (4" diameter)
       inserts under stainless steel screen.
         Pad attached to lid to retain
         screen during shipping
Internal expanding
stainless steel
retainer ring
                                                8 ounce metal can
                                                 13" strip of vinyl tape
                                         \
                                              Stainless steel screen,
                                              30-50 percent open
70-1-1 grams of 6 ±16 mesh charcoal
                 FIGURE 1
         Charcoal canister assembly

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a pre-amplifier and amplifier; a single channel analyzer and



sealer; a timer; a time of day clock; and a printer.







     Four sodium iodide detectors are served by a single high



voltage power supply, timer, printer, and time of day clock.



Each detector has its own pre-amplifier, amplifier, single



channel analyzer, and sealer.  The four detectors are arranged



together inside a shield that has steel walls 8 inches thick.



Within the shield the detectors are separated from each other by



4 inches of lead.  A wooden jig is used on each detector to



assure consistent counting geometry for the canisters on the



detector.  The arrangement of detectors in the shield and the



electronics are shown in Figures 2 and 3.







     The counting system is operated in the single channel mode



with a lower discriminator setting of 270 KeV and an upper



discriminator setting of 720  KeV.  All counts in this region are



summed during the counting period.  A multi-channel analyzer is



used once a week to  assure there has been no shift of the peaks



in the region of interest.







C.   Radon Calibration Chamber







     NAREL uses three radon calibration chambers to expose



charcoal canisters and other  instruments to known concentrations



of radon and radon decay products in controlled environmental



conditions.  Radium-226 sources are used to provide a continuous

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           FIGURE  2
Four detectors  in  counting  shield

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,
                                FIGURE 3
                     Two shields with electronics


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flow of radon through the chambers.  In the chamber, controlled



conditions include relative humidity (10 to 90 percent),



temperature  (0° to 40°C) ,  condensation nuclei (103 to 106/ml) ,



radon concentration  (10 to 1,000 picocuries per liter



(pCi/liter)), and radon decay product concentration or working



level (0.01  to 5 WL).







     The temperature, humidity, radon concentration, radon decay



product concentration, and condensation nuclei concentration are



monitored continuously and printed out each hour.  Radon



concentrations are monitored using a 1.2 liter flow-through



scintillation cell and decay product concentrations are monitored



by counting, with a surface barrier detector, the alpha activity



from decay products collected on a filter.  Grab samples, which



are done in  conformance with recently published EPA procedures



(EPA89), are used to calibrate the hourly printouts.







D.   Standard and Background Canisters







     Counting system performance is determined daily by counting



standard canisters containing known radioactivity and background



canisters.  The standard canisters were made by the quality



assurance group at NAREL in the following manner:  a known



activity of about 20.5 nCi, liquid radium-226 was slurried into



the 70 grams of charcoal in a canister with the retainer screen



removed; this was heated to dry all liquid from the charcoal;  the



canister was sealed by soldering a galvanized metal disc in the

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can where the screen normally is located; the lid was placed on



the canister and secured with tape; and the standard was stored



for thirty days to allow secular equilibrium to be reached



between the radium, the radon, and the progeny.  Standard and



background canisters were prepared for each crystal and are



counted every morning to establish a daily counting efficiency



for each detector system.  The counting efficiency is determined



by counting each standard and background canister for 10 minutes.



The background count is subtracted from the standard count to get



the net count.  This is divided by the time, 10 minutes, to get



net counts per minute (CPM).   By dividing the net CPM by the



known activity (pCi) of the standard the efficiency (CPM/pCi) of



the detector for that day is determined.
                                8

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III. Laboratory Methods







A.   Canister Preparation







     The gamma emitter content of the charcoal is determined for



each new batch of canisters from a supplier to make sure no



contaminated charcoal is being used.  Representative samples of



canisters from each new batch are also checked for moisture



content of the charcoal.







     Each canister is given an individual serial number which is



printed on the data label attached to the top of the canister and



automatically entered in the NAREL computer.  The canister is now



ready to use for calibration runs or for a radon measurement.








B.   Calibration







     The diffusion barrier canisters are calibrated over exposure



periods of one to ten days.  The radon concentration is kept as



constant as possible during all calibration work.  The procedure



is  described in the following steps:







     1.   Canister Exposure Sequence







     When the chamber is stabilized, a set of 50 canisters is put



into the chamber and exposed in the following manner:  a group of



five each for 1, 2, 3,  4, 5, 6, 7,  8, 9, and 10 days,

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 respectively.   The canisters  are  opened  inside  the chamber and
 the  exact  start times  are recorded.

      2.    Removal  and  Counting

      At  the  end of each  1 day period  specified  above,  a  group  of
 five canisters  is  removed for counting.  The  lids  are  placed on
 the  canisters while they are  still  inside  the chamber  and  the
 canisters  are then removed, taped,  and the exact time  is
 recorded.  The  canisters are  allowed  to  sit for at least three
 hours to allow  progeny to equilibrate with the  radon before
 counting.

      Each  canister is  counted for ten minutes on a sodium-iodide
 detector.  The  count time and detector number are  recorded so
 that the efficiency of that detector, from previous counting of
 standard and background,  can  be incorporated  in the calculation
 of calibration  factors.

      3.    Calculation  of Calibration  Factors

     A calibration  factor is  calculated  for each canister  using
the  following equation:

     CF  =     	NET CPM	       (Equation  1) (Ge84)
                 (Ts) (E) (RN) (DF)   '

where
CF        =    Calibration factor, radon adsorption rate (1/min),
                               10

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NET CPM   =    Gross CPM  for that canister - background CPM  for
               that detector for that day,
T         =    Exposure time of the canister (minutes),
 S
E         =    Detector efficiency for the appropriate detector
               (CPM/pCi),
RN        =    Radon concentration in the chamber for the
               exposure period (pCi/liter),
DF        =    Decay factor from the midpoint of exposure to the
               time of counting, which is calculated from


                            .693t           _       .693t	
               DF = e     T% Rn  (min)    °r e        5501 min

where t   =    time in minutes from midpoint of exposure to the
               start of counting.


     4.   Generation of Calibration Equations


     The calibration factors in Table 1, derived from the
equation above, relate exposure time of the canister as a
function of 20, 50, and 80 percent humidity.  Data  in this table
are plotted to generate Figure 4.  Due to the uniformity in the
sampling rate  (CF) of the diffusion barrier canister over the
entire humidity range, a single equation that describes the
response of the canister as a function of exposure time was
generated.  Using a linear regression analysis of the data in
Table 1,  this best fit equation is plotted in Figure 5.
                                11

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                Table  1

Exposure Time Versus Calibration Factors
   for Low, Medium, and High Humidity
Time of Exposure
(Hours)
24
24
24
24
24
48
48
48
48
48
72
72
72
72
72
96
96
96
96
96
120
120
120
120
120
144
144
144
144
144
168
168
168
168
168
192
192
192
192
Calibration
Factors (
20 Percent 50 Percent
0.03301
0.03428
0.03564
0.03180
0.03393
0.02900
0.03020
0.02997
0.03109
0.03167
0.03249
0.02946
0.03156
0.03230
0.03112
0.03154
0.03204
0.02852
0.02965
0.03130
0.03124
0.02874
0.03179
0.02978
0.02955
0.02922
0.03011
0.03069
0.02895
0.02817
0.03018
0.02810
0.02890
0.02970
0.02965
0.02810
0.02850
0.02908
0.02673
0.02909
0.02957
0.03078
0.03128
0.03173
0.02923
0.03139
0.03233
0.03092
0.02864
0.02802
0.02817
0.03022
0.02939
0.02982
0.02638
0.02816
0.02902
0.02598
0.03055
0.02787
0.02970
0.02630
0.03017
0.02949
0.02739
0.02704
0.02689
0.02969
0.02574
0.02639
0.02663
0.02971
0.02917
0.02857
0.02662
0.02518
0.02616
0.02659
liters/min)
80 Percent
0.03329
0.02912
0.03055
0.02948
0.02982
0.03195
0.02780
0.03099
0.02827
0.02961
0.03099
0.03126
0.03151
0.02773
0.02939
0.02751
0.02775
0.02722
0.02792
0.02747
0.02912
0.02885
0.02738
0.02521
0.02711
0.02617
0.02679
0.02734
0.02550
0.02724
0.02611
0.02504
0.02644
0.02661
0.02629
0.02493
0.02577
0.02443
0.02417
                   12

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                       Table 1 - Continued
             Exposure Time Versus Calibration Factors
                for Low,  Medium,  and High Humidity
Time of Exposure
     (Hours)
     Calibration Factors fliters/min)
20 Percent
50 Percent
80 Percent
192
216
216
216
216
216
240
240
240
240
240
0.02718
0.02977
0.02756
0.02822
0.02878
0.02670
0.02897
0.02802
0.02795
0.02658
0.02763
0.02693
0.02470
0.02473
0.02399
0.02721
0.02684
0.02737
0.02849
0.02660
0.02714
0.02706
0.02484
0.02440
0.02297
0.02439
0.02408
0.02420
0.02367
0.02215
0.02380
0.02338
0.02367
                               13

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                                                                                                       (D

                                                                                                       Ol
        .01
                J	I	I	I	I	L
                10   20  30  40  50  60
                                    I    I   I    I	l_l	I	I	I	I	L
                                    I    I   I	L
                                70   ao
                                       90
100 110  120  130 140  150 160  17O 180  190  200 210  220 230 240
                                           EXPOSURE TIME (HOURS)
              Figure 5. Best fit  regression analysis  of calibration factors versus

                        exposure time

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       Since the diffusion barrier significantly reduces the
amount of water vapor adsorbed by the charcoal, the calibration
procedure has been simplified.  Instead of calibrating diffusion
barrier canisters over a range of humidities, each new batch of
canisters from a supplier is re-calibrated only at medium
humidity for a period of one to seven days, and periodic two day
spot checks are performed on the canisters at low and high
humidities.
C.
Calculation of Radon in an Exposed Canister
       Equation 1 above may be rearranged to solve for the radon
concentration if the calibration factor is known.  This equation
will be
     RN
where
               NET CPM
                  (TJ  (E)  (CF)  (DF)
(Equation 2)
RN

NET CPM
E
CF
DF
        Radon concentration in pCi/liter,
        Gross CPM for the canister - background CPM for
        that detector for that day,
        Canister exposure time (minutes),
        Detector efficiency (CPM/pCi),
        Calibration factor (1/min), and
        Decay factor from the midpoint of exposure to the
        start of counting.
     The following steps are taken to analyze the canister and
calculate the radon concentration to which a canister has been
                                16

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exposed:

     1.   Count the standard canister on the detector to be used.

     Calculate the efficiency (E) for that detector in CPM/pCi as

     in section II-D.  This efficiency is used for all counting

     done on that detector for that day.


     2.   Count the background canister on the detector.  This

     background count is used for all counting done on that

     detector for that day.


     3.   Determine the exposure period (Ts)  in minutes  for the

     canister and divide by 60 to determine the amount of hours

     the canister was exposed.


     4.   Use the amount of hours of exposure on the X-axis on

     Figure 5 to obtain the CF for the canister from the Y-axis.


     5.   The decay factor (DF)  is used to correct for

     radiological decay between exposure and counting.  It is

     calculated from the midpoint of exposure to the start of

     counting using the formula
                        .693t
          DF  = e"
                     T% for Radon
     where t is the time from midpoint of exposure to the start

     of counting and T,A  is the half-life  of radon.
                               17

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EXAMPLE CALCULATION



     To calculate the concentration of radon in a canister we use

Equation 2,
   RN    =     	NET CPM	
                   (TJ  (E)  (CF)  (DF)
The data given for this example calculation are the following:



   Exposure Period    =  12-29-86 at 1052 CST to

                         01-01-87 at 0950 CST

   Start Count        =  01-04-87 at 0950 CST

   Gross Counts       =  2,942 in 10 minutes

   Background Counts  =  721 in 10 minutes

   Standard Counts    =  58,423 in 10 minutes for a 20,549 pCi

                         source



From these data, we first determine that
   Net CPM  =     2.942 - 721     =  222 CPM
                    10 min.

     T      =  4258 minutes (70.97 hours), and
                (58.423 - 721)710 minutes     =   0.281 CPM/pCi,
                      20,549 pCi
From Figure 5, we find a CF of 0.03050 on the Y-axis


                                18

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 corresponding to an exposure period of 70.97 hours on the X-axis,



    The decay factor for Equation 2 is calculated by

                       .693t
      DF    e      TK for radon

where t   =    midpoint of exposure time to start of counting

                time,
                  4,258    +   4,320  ,
                    2

                6,449 minutes,
and T% of radon =3.82 days or 5,501 minutes.  The decay factor

then is calculated by
                  (.693)  (6,449)
     DF  =  e~
                      5,501
         =  0.444.
   The final radon concentration is calculated by substituting

the above values into Equation 2 as follows:
   RN =
        (4258) (0.281) (0.03050) (0.444)

               13.7 pCi/liter.
                               19

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   The 2-sigma counting error  (Kn79) is calculated as follows:
   2
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BKG Count      =    total background counts, and

BKG Count Time =    counting time of background.
For the NAREL counting system, this calculates as
                        7  750
   MDA (CPM)  =  3  X            ,
                           10


              =  8.2 counts per minute.




This may be converted to activity of radon in pCi/liter by

assuming exposure conditions.  For the exposure range of the

diffusion barrier canister this calculates as follows:



   Assumed conditions:

     Exposure time = 2 days  (48 hours)  (This is the minimum

     exposure time recommended for this  canister.)

     Time in shipment = 3 days  (4,320 minutes)

     Counter efficiency =0.28 CPM/pCi

     MDA (CPM) =8.2  (from above)
                     _ MDA
   MDA  (pCi/liter) = - ~~~.   T  7TT  ,„,.
        v*  '          (Exposure Time)  (E)  (CF)
                                 8^,2
                       (2,880)  (0.28)  (0.031)  (.48)
                   =  0.68 pCi/liter
                                21

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      Exposure time = 7 days (168 hours)  (This is the recommended
      exposure time for this canister.)
      Time in shipment = 3 days (4,320 minutes)
      Counter efficiency = 0.28 CPM/pCi
      MDA (CPM)  =8.2 (from above)
    MDA (pCi/liter)  =
                       (10,080)  (0.28)  (0.028)  (.31)
                    =  0.34 pCi/liter

 Since  assumed conditions  are  not  always  met  and  the  MDA will
 change as  a  function of the length  of  the  exposure period,  NAREL
 reports an MDA of  less than 1.0 pCi/liter  for  an exposure period
 less than  5  days and an MDA of less  than 0.5 pCi/liter  for  an
 exposure period of 5 days  or  longer.

 E. Quality Assurance Procedures

   The  NAREL radon calibration chambers  are the  principal source
 of quality assurance exposures for charcoal canisters.  After the
 initial  calibration  run on  each new batch of canisters  from a
 supplier,  periodic checks are made on randomly selected canisters
to assure  no deviation.

   Reliability of the NAREL calibration chambers is assured
through several programs.   As  described previously,  the chamber
is monitored continuously while in operation.  Also,  daily checks
                               22

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 on the radon and radon decay product concentrations are made



 using grab sampling techniques.  These same techniques are used



 by NAREL in national and international measurement cross-check



 programs.  NAREL participates in these programs every time they



 are offered, usually several times per year,  and also sends



 groups of its canisters to operators of other radon calibration



 chambers for blind exposures as verification  checks.







    As part of NAREL's participation in the state radon survey



 program,  participating states are requested to expose duplicate



 canisters and return them to NAREL for routine processing.   This



 is usually done in five percent of the homes  surveyed.   NAREL



 also  requests that the states submit blank canisters  for



 analysis.   These are sent in by each state at a rate  of



 approximately two canisters  per week.







    The sodium iodide detectors  and counting systems used for the



 analysis  of  canisters are calibrated daily using standard sources



 described  in  section II-D.   The standard count  for each  detector



 system each day  is  entered into a  computer-maintained control



 chart  (Ro65).  If the  daily  standard count exceeds the 2-sigma



variation of the average  of  all previous counts for that system,



the system is not used for counting until the cause of the



excessive variation is determined.  The same type analysis is



also performed daily for a background canister on each system.
                               23

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   In actual field use, the coefficient of variation of a
canister should not exceed 10 percent at a radon concentration of
4 pCi/liter or greater.  This precision is monitored using
duplicate canisters (EPA86).
                               24

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IV.  Survey Methods

A. Shipping of  Canisters

   Canisters  are  prepared for use as described in section III-A.
After preparation, they are individually boxed and the individual
boxes are packed  into a shipping case,  usually 150 canisters per
case.  These  are  shipped to the users through normal commercial
carriers.  An individual canister in its box may be mailed to a
user.  Prepaid  labels are used to ship the individual boxes to
the user and  a  prepaid label is provided to return the canister
from the user to  NAREL.  Each individual box has a gummed flap
for sealing.

B. Deployment

   The charcoal canisters should be used as directed in the Indoor
Radon and Radon Decay Product Measurement Protocols,  EPA  520/1-89-009,
April 1986.   The  protocols specify house conditions at the time
of measurement, provide instructions on selecting the location
in the house  at which to make the measurement, and suggest how to
interpret results.   Copies of the Indoor Radon and Radon Decay Product
Measurement Protocol may be obtained by written  request  to  either  of
the following addresses:
                                25

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      U.S. Environmental Protection      National Air and
       Agency, Office of Radiation    Radiation Environmental
           Programs  (ANR-464)                Laboratory
           401 M Street, S.W.              1504 Avenue A
         Washington, DC  20460        Montgomery, AL 36115-2601


C. Forms



   A combination data-information form is shipped with each

canister.  This form is printed on yellow paper to easily tell it

from the form for the open-faced canister printed on white paper.

The information side of the form contains detailed instructions

for use and return of the canister.  This form is shown in

Figure 6.  The other side of the form consists of blanks to be

completed by the homeowner and the government agencies conducting

the study.  This data form is shown in Figure 7.  Accurate and

complete answers in the blanks are very important.



D. Time Restrictions



   The following time restrictions are used for the NAREL

diffusion barrier canister.  The exposure time for the diffusion

barrier canister must not be less than 47 hours nor longer than

240 hours (10 days).  The time delay in returning the canister to

NAREL for processing should be as short as possible to avoid
                               26

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                               Where  to Place the Charcoal Canister

      please make sure  that  for 12  hours before and during the 7-day measurement period:

      -  Windows and external  doors are kept closed, except for normal entry and exit,

      -  Fans or ventilation systems that use outside air, such as attic fans, are not  operated.

      If your house  has  a  basement, place the canister anywhere in the basement, except in a
 garage, root cellar, or crawl space.  If your house does not have a basement, place the canister
 in any room on the  lowest floor of the house, except in a bathroom, kitchen, or porch.

      Within the selected  room, the canister should not be 1n a location frequently exposed to
 noticeable drafts of an open door, window, fireplace, etc.  The canister should be exposed to air
 people breathe.  It should  be placed  on a table or shelf at least 2 feet above the floor and
 should be in open air,  not  in a closet, drawer, cupboard, etc.

      The canister should  be opened and exposed to the air for 7 full days (168 hours)  and then
 returned Immediately for  processing.  Follow the PROCEDURE below for opening and reseal1ng the
 charcoal canister.bo  not  open the canister to begin the measurement if you cannot end the
 measurement In 7 days.
                                             PROCEDURE

 1.    Remove the tape from around  the  canister.  Save  the tape to reseal the canister at the end of
      the measurement.

 2.    Remove the lid from the  canister.  Place the lower half of the canister, with the screen side
      up toward the open air,  on a table or shelf 1n the room chosen according to the above
      instructions.

 3.    Fill In the start date and time  on the label on  the canister Hd.

 4.    After 7 full  days (168 hours), replace the lid on the canister and reseal 1t with the tape.

 5.    Fill In the stop  date and time on the label.  This is very Important.  Also, please fill 1n
      the Information requested (To Be Completed By Occupant) on the other side of this sheet.

 6.    Place the canister and this  sheet in the box provided.  Seal the box as shown below and place
      the addressed, postage-paid  label on the box.

 7.    Mail the box within 1 day of resealing the canister.  No postage Is required.
1. P««l th. p.p.r ott UK
                                  TO SEAL THE BOX FOR MAILING:
                                      2, Clo»t th« boi with eanlstir
                                        •no thta ahegt Insidt box.
                                                                        X Pr>» t>» front ol lh« taoi to *uL
                                        FIGURE  6
                                 Instruction  sheet
                                             27

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                               TO BE COMPLETED BT  OCCUPANT
  Date and tine you started  and  stopped the wasurenent:
 Start date    /    /     Time	[J PM stop date     /   /     Tine	H
 1.   Postal  zip code at location of measurement:

 2.   Type of building In which measurement was nade:   Q  single family home
      Q  nultl-family building  Q business  Q  school   Q other	
 3.   Floor  of building where measurement was made:   H basement   H first floor
      (_J  second floor or above

 4.   Room In which measurement was made:  H  bedroom   [~| family room  Q living room
      [J  unfinished basement  £]  office  M  classroom   |_j other

 5.   Mere exterior doors and windows  mostly  open  or closed during measurement?
      []  Mostly open                 Q Mostly closed
 6.    Comments:
                                  FOR GOVERNMENT USE
House l.D. Code	          Canister Number	
                                                                 (On canister  label)
Geologic Region Code
                                        EPA USE


Date Received      /     /       Date Counted      /     /       Time              H PM
               m     d     yr                  m     d    yr
Detector Number __ _       Gross Counts

        "t _____ _       weight In
Counted by	       Checked by
Entered by	       Verified  by

Comments:
                                     FIGURE  7
                                   Data  form
                                        28

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excessive decay.  All canisters received at NAREL are counted,



regardless  of the delay time.  If the 3-sigma counting error  is



less than 100 percent, the results are calculated.  If the 3-



sigma  counting error is greater than 100 percent, the canister is



not calculated.








E.   Reporting







     Usually, all canisters received at NAREL are counted on the



day they are received.  NAREL reports results from canisters



processed each two weeks.  The report contains data for the



canisters received during the previous two week period.  Summary



reports may be provided on request.  The reports contain all the



responses to questions on the data forms.  If a form was not



fully completed, this section will be blank on the report.



Certain omissions, such as a start or stop date/time, make it



impossible to calculate a radon value.  The canister, however, is



counted and the count data filed by canister serial number.  If



the missing data are supplied at a later date, the results will



be calculated and reported on the next report.  If any



irregularities are noted in a canister,  such as the top not taped



properly, this will be noted in the comment section of the



report.  The responsible agency conducting the survey will be



notified by telephone if any canister result is greater than



100 pCi/liter.
                               29

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     Agencies conducting surveys with NAREL canisters,  if they



have the appropriate computer equipment,  may access their data



directly from the NAREL computer.  They will be given access only



to their own data.  NAREL also can arrange to send data directly



to agencies which have access to electronic mail.   Interested



persons should contact NAREL to arrange to get computer access or



electronic mail.
                               30

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                            REFERENCES
A163
Altshuler, B. and Pasternack, B., Statistical Measures



of the Lower Limit of Detection  of a Radioactivity



Counter, Health Physics, Vol. 9, pp. 293-298, 1963.
EPA89     Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Radon and Radon



          Decay Product Measurement Protocols, EPA 520/1-89-009,



          Office of Radiation Programs:  Washington, D.C., 1989.
Ge84
George, A.C., Passive, Integrated Measurement of Indoor



Air Using Activated Carbon, Health Physics, Vol. 46,



No. 4, 1984.
Kn79
Knoll, G.F., Radiation Detection and Measurement,



New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1979.
Ro65
Rosenstein, M. and Goldin, A.S., Statistical Techniques



for Quality Control of Environmental Radioassay, Health



Laboratory Science, Vol. 2, pp. 93-102, 1965.
                               31

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