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Assessment օf Radon Emanation Potential and Radon Hazard in the City of Yerevan

Code: #21T-1E135
2021-2024

Funded by։ Higher Education and Science Committee of MoESC RA

Project manager from CENS: Olga Belyaeva

 

The aim of this project is the assessment of radon emanation potential and radon hazard in the capital of RA, Yerevan. The main expected results of the project are maps of radon emanation potential and radon hazard in Yerevan. The most important applied outputs are:

 

  • (i) assessment of radon health risk from two exposure pathways: inhalation and ingestion;
  • (ii) radionuclide composition and specific activity of natural radionuclides in rocks of Yerevan;
  • (iii) maps of the distribution of natural radionuclides in rocks in the area of Yerevan.

 

As part of the project a map of radon activity distribution in the gaseous phase of Yerevan's soils was created for the first time. Radon activity in the soil varies significantly, ranging from 210 to 40,500 Bq/m³. The highest values were observed in the central and eastern parts of the city, particularly in soils developed on sedimentary rocks. Additionally, baseline activities of natural radionuclides in Yerevan's soils were estimated for the first time.

An interdisciplinary study also evaluated public health risks associated with several drinking tap water safety indicators across Yerevan's 12 administrative districts. These indicators included radon dissolved in water and certain potentially toxic elements (PTEs). The annual effective dose of radon dissolved in tap water was estimated by comparing radon activity monitoring results with data on water consumption patterns. It was found that water in the northern and western districts—Davtashen, Ajapnyak, Arabkir, and Malatia-Sebastia—had relatively high radon activity. However, no recorded values exceeded international or national maximum allowable concentrations (MACs). The total annual effective dose from all exposure routes (ingestion, inhalation, and radon dissolution in the blood) remains below the World Health Organization's reference level of 0.1 mSv/year.

 

Oral presentation in an international scientific conference.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lCNlWnhBd7n8m4i9vqOGStEQ7kzlC1dJ/view

 

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