Author(s)

Wend-Yam Appolinaire Elola¹, Telado Luc Bambara^1,2*, Ali Doumounia^1,2, Nièssan Kohio^1,2, Soumaila Ouédraogo^1,2, François Zougmore¹

¹Laboratoire de matériaux et Environnement, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkina Faso.
²Institut des Sciences et de Technologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Burkina Faso.

Colorless, incessant radon gas is notably the second most important cause of lung cancer after smoking in smokers and the first cause in non-smokers. Having little effect in the atmosphere, radon gas accumulates in confined spaces. Therefore, the determination of radon concentrations inside residential buildings is very important to improve the health of the inhabitants. The objective of this research is to measure the concentration of radon in indoor air in residential areas of the city of Kaya and to assess the absorbed dose, the effective dose and the relative risk of lung cancer. In this study, the CORENTIUM AIR THINGS digital radon detector is used to determine the radon concentration in twenty-one houses in Kaya. The CORENTIUM AIR THINGS digital radon detector has been placed in each residential building for a minimum period of one week and the concentration values are read every 24 hours. This research revealed that the average concentration of radon was 28.47 Bq/m³ in the residential areas of Kaya. The radon concentration in a house has been found to exceed 100 Bq/m³, which is the level authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the long term, the absorbed dose varies from 0.118 mSv to 4.975 mSv and the effective dose is between 0.229 mSv and 12.002 mSv. In the short term, the absorbed dose varies between 0.095 mSv to 5.001 mSv and the effective dose is between 0.283 mSv to 11.935 mSv. The mean lung cancer relative risk (CPRR) from indoor exposure was 1.026. There is a need to raise awareness among the population of the city of Kaya on this issue and to take measures to reduce radon in homes when the concentrations are above the limit recommended by the WHO.

Radon, Concentration, Dose, Relative Risk, Lung Cancer

Elola, W. , Bambara, T. , Doumounia, A. , Kohio, N. , Ouédraogo, S. and Zougmore, F. (2023) Assessment of Radon Concentrations inside Residential Buildings and Estimation of the Dose in the City of Kaya, Burkina Faso. Open Journal of Applied Sciences, 13, 1066-1078. doi: 10.4236/ojapps.2023.137085.