A simple method for measuring thoron spatial distributions

A simple but effective method that allows the measurement of the 220Rn spatial distribution in working or living environments using a solid-state detector is presented in this paper. The method is based on measurements of the alpha particles emitted by 216Po (the first 220Rn progeny) directly deposited on the detector surface at different distances from a 220Rn exhalation source. The validity of the method is shown by comparing the results of an experiment, where the 220Rn activity concentration is measured under conditions of diffusion at constant temperature, with finite-element calculations. (authors)