DUST SAMPLERS AS MEANS OF MEASURING LONG-LIVED AND SHORT-LIVED RADON PROGENY IN MINES

Filters from personal dust samplers used to measure dust concentration s in mines contain measurable long lived radioactive dust (LLRD). Afte r initially being measured for dust and silica exposure, these filters were re-measured days or months later using alpha spectrometry to det ermine the presence of LLRD. Majority of the results from randomly cho sen United States samples (57 samples - hardrock, 50 samples - coal mi nes) showed measurable LLRD (1 - 30 mBq/m(3)). Results from Polish min es, where both short-lived radon progeny and dust have been measured s imultaneously since 1989, showed somewhat lower concentration of LLRD. Domination of Po-210 signifies radon progeny plateout on mine surface s and eventual reentrainment from the surfaces. Absence of U-238 in th e spectra and excess of Ra-226 signify chemical enrichment prior to en trainment. Results of measurements of Po-210 in airborne dust can be u sed for qualitative estimation of past exposures to short lived radon progeny. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.