ABSTRACT
In this study, radon-222
concentrations were measured within 34 houses distributed in the northern,
southern, and central areas of the city of Querétaro in 2007. The objective of
this study was to establish the spatial distribution of radon with respect to
geological faults and its relation to certain environmental variables. For each
sampling site, the radon-222 concentration was analyzed as a function of
various climate variables, relative humidity, temperature, and atmospheric
pressure, in addition to the ventilation of the house and distance of each site
from any geological faults in the area. A multivariate statistical technique
was used to analyze these variables based on two components. For component 1,
the relative humidity and temperature had the greatest weight, 0.677 and 0.492,
respectively, while for component 2, the greatest weights corresponded to radon
and the temperature with 0.693 and 0.609, respectively. The average radon
concentration across the entire sampling period was 38.92 Bq/m3, the
minimum detected value was 6.01 Bq/m3 for site 91GAG0607, and the maximum
detected value was 225.95 Bq/m3 for
site 91CAM20907. This last value is outside the standards permitted by the
Environmental Protection Agency of the United Stated, which is 148 Bq/m3 for indoor environments. With respect
to geological faults and their relationship to radon-222, the concentrations
for the sampling sites had no relationship to the closeness or distance to
these faults.
Share and Cite:
Martínez, R. , Kotsarenko, A. , Enriquez, R. , Abeyro, J. , Koshevaya, S. and Noreña, J. (2014) Influence of Geological Factor on Indoor Radon Concentrations in Dwelling of Querétaro, México.
Open Journal of Geology,
4, 627-635. doi:
10.4236/ojg.2014.412047.