Measurement of 222Rn in soil concentrations in interstitial air

Measurements of 222Rn soil concentrations were made by inserting stainless-steel sampling tubes into the soil. The samples of the soil interstitial air were taken in to pre-evacuated 1 L glass flasks. The glass flasks are cylindrical and coated with a film of ZnS(Ag). 222Rn was measured by counting the alpha particles emitted by 222Rn and its daughter products, 218Po and 214Bi, when they reached radioactive equilibrium. Measurements of 222Rn gas concentrations in the soil air interstices by the method at different depths were used to calculate the diffusion coefficient of the 222Rn in the soil air. This study has been carried out for diverse soils. (Author)