Radon concentration measurement and dose estimation in non-uranium mines in China (2019-21)

The radon concentration in selected non-uranium mines from 2019 to 2021 in China are presented. By using of solid-state nuclear track detector, a total of 110 non-uranium mines in 13 provinces and autonomous regions were monitored, and the data were analyzed according to the mineral categories. The arithmetic mean of radon concentration in underground metal mines and nonmetallic mines were 1180 and 162 Bq m^-3, respectively, and the standard deviations were 2850 and 151 Bq m^-3, respectively. Correspondingly, the average annual effective dose of metal miners was 12.7 mSv and that of nonmetal miners was 1.75 mSv. It was noted that the radon concentration in some metal mines is not optimal in China. It is suggested that the ventilation should be strengthened in some metal mines. Besides, it is still necessary to control occupational radon exposure of non-uranium miners as low as reasonably achievable, and non-uranium mines should be managed by classification. (authors)