Blind Testing of Commercially Available Short-Term Radon Detectors

Details

• Personal Author:
  Budd G ; Field RW ; McLemore S ; Sun K ; Budd G ; Field RW ; McLemore S ; Sun K
• Description:
  A sample of commercially available, charcoal adsorption type, short-term radon detectors was blind tested under controlled laboratory conditions in order to obtain a "snapshot" of the accuracy and precision of the detectors. The results of the controlled exposures were then compared to a previous field study of the same type of commercially available radon detectors. Radon detectors, purchased from seven different commercial vendors, were exposed to a reference (222)Rn gas concentration at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Radon Chamber located at the Radiation and Indoor Environments National Laboratory in Las Vegas, Nevada. EPA Test 1 was performed under a controlled simulated field exposure paralleling, to the extent possible, the previous actual field exposure conditions. A second controlled exposure, EPA Test 2, was performed under a relatively steady state of (222)Rn gas concentration, at the same temperature, but a more moderate relative humidity. In the previous field setting evaluation of detectors, five out of six companies tested did not pass the accuracy guideline (all individual relative errors < or =25%) established during the EPA's former Radon Measurement Proficiency Program (EPA-RMPP). As compared to the field test, the detectors in this study generally exhibited better accuracy and precision. Not surprisingly, it appeared temporal fluctuations in radon concentrations and increased humidity had a negative influence on the accuracy and precision of detectors for some companies. The inability of three out of seven companies to meet former EPA-RMPP guidelines for accuracy, even under ideal exposure conditions (constant temperature, humidity, and radon concentration), highlights the importance of blind testing commercially available radon detectors. Furthermore, the consistent over-reporting or under-reporting trends in the overall results for all three tests suggest a potentially widespread systematic bias for the individual companies that merits further investigation. It is unknown if this one-time "snapshot" represents the overall reliability of commercially available charcoal-based radon detectors. Nonetheless, the findings suggest the need for improved vigilance to assure that the public can rely on commercially available radon detectors to make an informed decision whether or not to perform additional testing or to mitigate. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Hazardous Substances Occupational Health Radon Safety
• Keywords:
  222Rn Author Keywords: Radon Environmental-contamination Environmental-exposure Environmental-hazards Gas-meters Gas-sampling Hazardous-materials Monitoring-systems Monitors Quality Assurance Radiation Detector Radon-daughters

  More +
• ISSN:
  0017-9078
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Iowa ; OSHA Region 7 ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Volume:
  94
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034263
• Citation:
  Health Phys 2008 Jun; 94(6):548-557
• Contact Point Address:
  R.W. Field, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, 104 IREH, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
• Email:
  bill-field@uiowa.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing ; Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado State University - Ft. Collins
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20030915
• Source Full Name:
  Health Physics
• End Date:
  20270914
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b9eb58b70a7886638c6637149ddb8b54562195eb7cd5a02e124f4b0f418055e22a3ea3d1832c011defca1d9770421e95454a45136fad4749888fc51d3811d721
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/189543/cdc_189543_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 795.83 KB ]