Radon Concentrations in Thermal and Mineral Springs in Slovenia

Full text: In Slovenia there are more than 20 thermal spas with thermal and mineral springs, which temperatures are in the range from 20 to 80 deg. C. Most of those thermal spas lie on geological cracks, where the water found the easiest way to come out. Thermal and mineral waters in thermal spas are used at most for rehabilitation after heart diseases or body hurts, but lately they are often used as refreshing baths. Radon concentration in water samples was measured on two ways, by gamma spectroscopy on high purity germanium detector (Canberra, USA) and by Radon-Thoron Monitor RTM-2010 (SARAD, Germany), that detect alpha particles. The values of radon concentrations in water samples varied from several kBq/m3 up to 60 kBq/m3. Contribution of radon from thermal and mineral water in bath to radon in air is small, only several Bq/m3. (author)