Assessment of Radon Gas Concentration and Radiation Doses in Dwellings in Koudougou, Burkina Faso

Naon Yacouba¹, Bambara Telado Luc^{1, 2,} and SAWADOGO Yalgado Zakaria²

¹Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Koudougou, Burkina Faso

²Laboratoire de Matériaux et Environnement, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Cite this paper:
Naon Yacouba, Bambara Telado Luc and SAWADOGO Yalgado Zakaria. Assessment of Radon Gas Concentration and Radiation Doses in Dwellings in Koudougou, Burkina Faso. International Journal of Physics. 2026; 14(4):106-112. doi: 10.12691/ijp-14-4-4

Abstract

Radon is a significant source of natural ionizing radiation exposure in homes and represents a risk factor for lung cancer. This study aims to characterize radon concentrations in homes in the city of Koudougou and to assess the dosimetric consequences associated with occupant exposure. The PCE-RD 75 active detector was used for volumetric radon concentration measurements in 80 studied dwellings. The mean cumulative concentrations obtained ranged from 12 to 642 Bq·m⁻³, with an average of 54.4 ± 76.5 Bq·m⁻³. The majority of homes have concentrations below the reference level of 100 Bq·m⁻³ recommended by the World Health Organization. However, seven homes exhibited concentrations above this value; notably, one home recorded a concentration of 642 Bq·m⁻³, exceeding the WHO's upper reference level of 300 Bq·m⁻³. From the measured concentrations, the annual absorbed doses were estimated to be between 0.265 and 14.172 mSv·year⁻¹, with an average of 1.201 mSv·year⁻¹. The estimated annual effective doses at the lung level range from 0.636 to 34.013 mSv·yr⁻¹, with an average of 2.882 mSv·yr⁻¹, while those estimated at the blood level range from 0.013 to 0.669 mSv·yr⁻¹, with an average of 0.057 mSv·yr⁻¹. The highest values are observed in dwellings with the highest radon concentrations, notably dwellings 60, 67, and 78. The risk assessment indicates an average lifetime probability of developing lung cancer of 1.03%, with values ranging from 0.23% to 12.16%.

Keywords:
radon dwellings concentration effective dose lung cancer

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