Radon, radon progeny and unattached radon progeny were measured in two chambers with differentcharacteristics at the Jenolan Caves, New South Wales, Australia, in 1996. Meteorological parametersand condensation nucleus concentrations were measured in order to understand the processesgoverning the radon concentration and degree of disequilibrium with the progeny. One chamber waspoorly ventilated, and rainfall proved to be the most important influence on radon concentration.
The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommends the use of a singleconversion factor, derived from epidemiological studies of exposure to uranium miners, for thedetermination of the effective dose from inhalation of radon progeny. Dosimetric models of radonprogeny inhalation predict that the dose conversion factors (DCF) are dependent upon the form ofthe radon progeny activity size distribution. The measurement of these activity size distributions isdifficult and an alternative approach has been proposed.
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