Environmental radiation levels at NARL, Gadanki

Radioactivity in the atmosphere is a considerable parameter now-a-days due to the health risks and atmospheric research with radon as tracer. The measurements were made using AlphaGUARD and AlphaPM in open space at NARL, Gadanki, India during February to December, 2012. The Average radon concentration observed in Bq/m3 is 12.86 and ranges between 1 and 195, while radon progeny in mWL shows a mean of 5.19 with variability of 0.13 and 24.32. Both concentrations show a similar trend with peaks during early morning and minima in the afternoon with positive correlation for relative humidity and anti-correlation for ambient temperature due to temperature inversions. The average dose rate observed is 178.1 nSv/hour. (author)