ABSTRACT
Measurements of radon in air and in natural waters provide information on the mechanisms of radon migration and release from host solids; about the physico-chemical controls on the release mechanisms; and on the nature of the uranium source in host solids. Although the determination of radionuclide concentrations with the methods generally require a complex and tedious preparation of samples prior to analyses, the methods have been proven in duplicate and replicate analyses to be quantitatively and statistically quite reliable and accurate. Accurate determination of radon loss for each bulk sample is obtained by comparing apparent U-238 abundances calculated from activities of radon precursors. Bulk samples of the selected granites were placed directly on the detector in fixed geometries for counting. Samples were counted on the detector for 12 to 24 hour periods of time in order to collect statistically accurate gamma spectra.
