Residential radon exposure in some areas of Bangalore city, India

Exposure to natural airborne radon, indoors, has been identified as the primary mode of radiation exposure. Hence, numerous measurements at various parts of the world along with epidemiological studies regarding the indoor radon and risk o flung cancer have been published in recent years. In India, many researchers have measured the indoor radon levels in dwellings at different regions for health risk assessment and its control. Though, Bangalore (12°152 and 13°132 N latitude and 77°32 and 77°562 E longitude) is one of the major cities of India with a population of about 8 million, only a few radon measurements were reported till date. As a result of ever increasing demand for living places, closely packed high rise residential buildings and apartments are found everywhere and seems to prevent the normal dispersion of radon due to poor ventilation. In view of the above, indoor radon and thoron measurements were carried out using Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTD) in about 50 dwellings of residential areas of Bangalore city namely, K.S. Town, Kengeri, RR Nagar, Nayandanahalli, RPC Layout, Nagarabhavi, Mudalapalya, Malagala, Sunkadakatte, etc. The results obtained were systematically analyzed and discussed