Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2006. / "Submitted to Department of Physics and Materials Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-116)

L'objectif de cette thèse est de développer un système étalon de thoron afin de raccorder les instruments de mesure de l'activité volumique du thoron (²²⁰Rn) dans l'air. Le dispositif de mesure conçu est un volume composé d'un détecteur semi-conducteur silicium couplé à un champ électrique permettant la capture des descendants solides chargés du thoron à la surface du détecteur. Des simulations avec un code déterministe ont permis d'optimiser la forme et les dimensions du dispositif pour obtenir un champ électrique efficace pour la capture de ces descendants malgré un débit de circulation rapide à l'intérieur du volume de mesure. Des calculs Monte-Carlo ont aussi permis de définir le rendement de détection du dispositif, ainsi que la forme du spectre alpha. Les rendements de détection calculés pour la mesure du ²²²Rn et ²²⁰Rn ont été validés expérimentalement avec une atmosphère étalon de radon (²²²Rn) produite à l'aide d'un banc de dilution spécifiquement conçu. Une étude de sensibilité a montré que la réponse du dispositif est indépendante de la pression, de l'humidité et du débit de prélèvement dans la gamme de mesure considérée. L'analyse des spectres alpha obtenus a permis de qualifier précisément l'activité volumique d'une atmosphère en thoron avec une incertitude-type associée de 1%. Le dispositif, portable, a été transporté au laboratoire de métrologie de l'activité Italien pour réaliser des comparaisons avec leur dispositif en développement. Les résultats sont compatibles en tenant compte des incertitudes associées. / The goal of this PhD is to develop an activity standard for use in calibrating monitors used to measure the thoron (²²⁰Rn) concentration in air. The device, which has been designed to be the standard, is a volume with a silicon semi-conductor detector and an electric field which allows the charged decay products of thoron to be trapped on the detector surface. A finite element method has been used for the electric field simulations. This electric field is high enough to catch the decay products of thoron at the detector surface even with the high flow rate inside the volume. Monte-Carlo calculations were used to define the detection efficiency of the system and to optimise the geometry shape and size. The calculated detection efficiencies have been compared with the results obtained for a reference radon (²²²Rn) atmosphere produced with a new gas dilution setup. These experiments allowed the sensitivity of the system to be evaluated, as a function of the air properties. It has been demonstrated that the measurement system is independent of the pressure, the relative humidity and the flow rate for a large range of values. Through the analysis of measured alpha spectra the experimental gas detection efficiency was found to be consistent with the Monte-Carlo simulations. This portable system can now be used to evaluate precisely the thoron activity concentration with a well-defined associated uncertainty. Comparison measurements have been performed at the Italian metrological institute. Both systems are consistent within their uncertainties.

<p>U okviru ove&nbsp; disertacije razvijena je i&nbsp; verifikovana metoda&nbsp; za&nbsp; direktno&nbsp; merenje&nbsp; koncentracije&nbsp; toronovih&nbsp; potomaka&nbsp; u vazduhu&nbsp; i&nbsp; određivanje&nbsp; toronske&nbsp; ravnoteže.&nbsp; Pouzdanost&nbsp; i primenljivost&nbsp; predloženog&nbsp; GAMA&nbsp; metoda&nbsp; proverena&nbsp; je sveobuhvatnom&nbsp; studijom&nbsp; koncentracija&nbsp; radona,&nbsp; torona&nbsp; i svih parametara koji doprinose ovim koncentracijama na 16 različitih&nbsp; lokacija&nbsp; na&nbsp; području&nbsp; Srbije&nbsp; odabranih&nbsp; na&nbsp; osnovu<br />geomorfologije&nbsp; terena&nbsp; i&nbsp; prethodnih&nbsp; merenja.&nbsp; Iznalaženjem najznačajnijih&nbsp; statističkih&nbsp; korelacija&nbsp; i&nbsp; primenom&nbsp; jedne&nbsp; od predloženih&nbsp; metoda&nbsp; iz&nbsp; kori&scaron;ćene&nbsp; naučne&nbsp; literature&nbsp; za procenu&nbsp; geogenog&nbsp; radonskog&nbsp; potencijala&nbsp; identifikovani&nbsp; su prediktori&nbsp; koji&nbsp; utiču&nbsp; na&nbsp; koncentraciju&nbsp; radona&nbsp; u&nbsp; zemlji&scaron;tu i vazduhu zatvorenih prostorija. Pored toga studijom slučaja u&nbsp; jednoj&nbsp; porodičnoj&nbsp; kući&nbsp; potvrđena&nbsp; je&nbsp; primenljivost&nbsp; i podobnost&nbsp; aktivnih&nbsp; monitora&nbsp; za&nbsp; određivanje&nbsp; radonske&nbsp; i toronske&nbsp; ravnoteže,&nbsp; praćenje&nbsp; varijacija,&nbsp; kao&nbsp; i&nbsp; neophodnost njihove&nbsp; primene&nbsp; u&nbsp; procesu&nbsp; remedijacije&nbsp; objekata&nbsp; sa<br />povi&scaron;enom koncentracijom radona.</p> / <p>Within&nbsp; this&nbsp; dissertation,&nbsp; a&nbsp; method&nbsp; for&nbsp; the&nbsp; direct measurement of indoor thoron progeny concentrations and&nbsp; determination&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; thoron&nbsp; equilibrium&nbsp; was developed&nbsp; and&nbsp; verified.&nbsp; The&nbsp; reliability&nbsp; and applicability&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; proposed&nbsp; GAMA&nbsp; method&nbsp; was proved by a comprehensive study of radon, thoron and all parameters that contribute to these concentrations at 16 different locations in the territory of Serbia selected based&nbsp; on&nbsp; geomorphology&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; terrain&nbsp; and&nbsp; previous measurements. Based on the most significant statistical correlations&nbsp; between&nbsp; all&nbsp; examined&nbsp; parameters&nbsp; and using one of the proposed methods from the literature<br />geogenic&nbsp; radon&nbsp; potential&nbsp; was&nbsp; estimated&nbsp; with identification&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; predictors&nbsp; which&nbsp; significantly affect radon concentrations in air and soil. In addition, a&nbsp; case&nbsp; study&nbsp; in&nbsp; one&nbsp; family&nbsp; house&nbsp; confirmed&nbsp; the suitability&nbsp; of&nbsp; active&nbsp; radon&nbsp; monitors&nbsp; for&nbsp; determination of&nbsp; the&nbsp; radon&nbsp; and&nbsp; thoron&nbsp; equilibrium,&nbsp; monitoring&nbsp; of time&nbsp; variations&nbsp; and&nbsp; also&nbsp; the&nbsp; necessity&nbsp; of&nbsp; their application in the remediation of objects with elevated radon.</p>

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Thoron Rn-220 is a radioactive gas with a half-life of 55.6 s. It has been identified as a possible health concern in specific places such as monazite processing plants and (rare-earth) mines. The short half-life of Rn-220 makes Rn-220 calibration sources and chambers less common than for the isotope Rn-222. There are many Rn-220 standard sources and chambers that are widely described in the literature and used for different applications and calibration. However, some of these chambers and sources are not easy to set up in typical nuclear environmental laboratories. In this project, we developed a Rn-220 standard source using a thorium nitrate solution (Th(NO3)4.6H2O). The solution was split into a large volume which was used in a Marinelli beaker to characterize its strength using a Hyper Pure Germanium (HPGe) detector, and a smaller volume of around 30 ml which was poured into a small bottle. The Rn-220 is extracted by bubbling air through the solution in the small bottle using an aerator. Gamma rays from the solution were measured simultaneously using a 76.2 mm × 76.2 mm NaI(Tl) detector. The gamma rays were measured for 66 hours. The accumulated spectra were thereafter analysed using an Excel spreadsheet where the counts in the Tl-208(2614 keV) peak were extracted and used to obtain the percentage of Rn-220 pumped out of the solution in the small bottle.

Ce travail s’insère dans le cadre de l’expérience NEMO cherchant à mettre en évidence une radioactivité extrêmement rare : la double désintégration bêta sans émission de neutrino et par suite d’obtenir des informations sur la nature Dirac-Majorana et sur la masse du neutrino. La particularité de cette expérience actuellement en fin de prise de données au Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane est l’extrême rareté du signal recherché (T1/2 > 1024 ans, quelques événements par an). Il s’ensuit donc des conditions très contraignantes sur toutes les composantes du bruit de fond, et parmi celles-ci sur les niveaux de radon et de thoron. Après quelques rappels sur les propriétés du radon et du thoron et leur influence sur les données de l’expérience NEMO, ce travail de thèse a porté sur la détection de ces gaz radioactifs par la technique de collection électrostatique des descendants sur la surface d’une diode silicium et la détection des alpha émis. Nous avons montré que les rendements de détection sont fortement influencés par les conditions expérimentales et que le niveau de radon pouvait être contrôlé actuellement au niveau du mBq/m3. Une série des mesures de spectrométrie gamma nous a permis de comprendre l’origine du bruit de fond du détecteur de radon, et ainsi d’envisager dans l’avenir un gain en sensibilité en augmentant le volume de détection et en effectuant une sélection très poussée des matériaux non radioactifs. Par contre, pour le thoron, qui n’avait jamais été étudié jusqu’à présent, les efficacités de détection sont très faibles à cause des périodes courtes mises en jeu. Un monitorage continu du thoron dans le gaz de NEMO est donc exclu, ce qui souligne l’importance pour l’expérience NEMO que le dispositif expérimental puisse contrôler son propre bruit de fond. / This work is part of the NEMO (Neutrino Ettore Majorana Observatory) experiment that is looking for an extremely rare radioactivity: the double beta decay without neutrino emission. Such process could prove the Majorana nature of the neutrino and could give an estimation of its absolute mass. The particularity of this experiment, currently running in the Modane underground laboratory (LSM), is the extreme weak signal (for T1/2 ~ 1024 years, a few events per year). It requires therefore very stringent conditions on all components of the background among which the level of radon and thoron activity. After a reminding of the general properties of radon and thoron as well as their influence on the NEMO data, this thesis focuses on the detection of these radioactive gases using the technique of electrostatic collection. The radon and/or the thoron daughters are collected by an electrostatic field on the surface of a silicon diode, where their characteristic alphas are detected. We have shown that the detection efficiencies are strongly influenced by the experimental conditions and that sensitivity around 1 mBq/m3 can be achieved for the radon in a gas. A series of measures through low background gamma spectrometer allowed us to understand the origin of the radon background, and thus showing that better sensitivity could be obtained by increasing the detection volume and by carrying out a strict selection of non-radioactive materials. For the thoron gas, which had never been studied before, the detection efficiencies have been found very low as a consequence of the short periods involved. Therefore, a continuous monitoring of the level of thoron in the NEMO gas is excluded, which underlines the importance for the NEMO experimental device to be able to control its own background. / Nghiên cứu này nằm trong khuôn khổ thí nghiệm NEMO, hiện đang trong những bước lấy số liệu cuối cùng tại phòng thí nghiệm ngầm Modane, nhằm ghi nhận phân rã bêta kép không kèm theo phát xạ neutrino, để từ đó chứng minh bản chất Majorana của hạt neutrino và cho phép ước lượng khối lượng tuyệt đối của hạt này. Phân rã này, nếu thật sự tồn tại, là loại phân rã cực hiếm (T1/2 > 1024 năm, tương đương với vài tín hiệu ghi nhận được mỗi năm). Vì thế, nó đòi hỏi những điều kiện rất gắt gao đối với mọi thành phần cấu thành nên phông nền bức xạ, trong đó bao gồm hoạt độ của radon và thoron. Sau khi nhắc lại những tính chất cơ bản của radon và thoron, cũng như ảnh hưởng của chúng tới số liệu của NEMO, bản luận văn tập trung vào việc đo hoạt độ của hai khí phóng xạ này bằng cách thu nhận các hạt nhân con của chúng thông qua trường tĩnh điện, tiếp đó ghi nhận các hạt alpha phát ra tại bề mặt một đi-ốt silic. Nghiên cứu này đã chỉ ra rằng hiệu suất đo phụ thuộc vào nhiều điều kiện thực nghiệm, và thiết bị này cho phép chúng tôi kiểm soát khí radon ở mức mBq/m3. Một lọat các phép đo với phổ kế gamma đã giúp chúng tôi hiểu được căn nguyên phông nền bức xạ của thiết bị, và từ đó dự kiến có thể cải thiện độ nhạy của thiết bị bằng cách tăng thể tích đo và chọn lọc các loại vật liệu có độ phóng xạ thấp. Tuy nhiên, với khí thoron, vốn vẫn chưa được nghiên cứu kỹ cho tới hiện nay, hiệu suất đo được là rất nhỏ do chu kỳ bán rã quá ngắn của các hạt nhân liên quan. Vì vậy, việc theo dõi thoron trong khí ga của NEMO đã bị loại trừ, đồng nghĩa với việc khẳng định tầm quan trọng của việc kiểm soát phông nền bức xạ thoron của chính thiết bị ghi nhận bêta kép trong thí nghiệm NEMO.

Os isótopos do gás radioativo radônio são gerados a partir de qualquer solo ou rocha que contenha urânio e tório na sua composição. Desta forma, rochas ornamentais utilizadas na construção civil são fontes naturais dos isótopos de radônio que podem gerar concentrações em interiores superiores às recomendadas internacionalmente. Visto que o Brasil é um importante produtor e exportador de rochas ornamentais, investigou-se nesta pesquisa: um método de triagem das amostras de baixo custo e eficiente; as correlações entre o Index gama e as exalações de radônio e torônio; a influência dos parâmetros físicos da rocha nas exalações; a distância de difusão do Rn-222 nas placas de rocha; a utilização de métodos de redução das exalações de radônio e torônio; associações preferenciais de urânio e tório com outros elementos químicos e as proporções de radônio e torônio nas amostras. Quarenta (40) amostras de rochas ornamentais coletadas no Brasil e na Suíça foram estudadas e submetidas às seguintes análises: fluorescência de raios X, difração de raios X, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, análise de lâminas em microscópio, picnometria, umidade, porosidade, permeabilidade, espectrometria gama, análise por ativação neutrônica, microscopia confocal, análise das exalações de radônio e torônio utilizando célula de cintilação, detecção de radioatividade utilizando detector portátil de contaminação e aplicação de impermeabilizante. Análises estatísticas univariadas e multivariadas foram conduzidas com o software Statistica 13. Os principais resultados das recomendações foram: uso do detector portátil de radiação como método de triagem das amostras selecionadas; uso do valor limite um (1) do Index gama para placas de rocha ornamental; adotar 150 Bq/hm2 como valor limite de exalação total de radônio; uso de polimento e de substância impermeabilizante como métodos de tratamento superficiais para diminuição das exalações de radônio e torônio; minerais contendo elementos de terras raras apresentaram maior quantidade de U e Th associados; e as proporções de Th/U nas amostras brasileiras (5 a 15) foram maiores do que a média global (3 a 4). / Radioactive radon gas isotopes are generated from any soil or rock containing uranium and thorium in its composition. Thus, ornamental rocks used in construction are natural sources of radon and can generate indoor concentrations higher than those recommended internationally. As Brazil is an important producer and exporter of ornamental rocks; it was investigated in this research: an inexpensive and efficient way of sorting samples; correlations between gamma Index and the exhalations of radon and thoron; the influence of physical parameters on rock exhalations; Rn-222 diffusion length in rock plates; methods for reducing radon and thoron exhalations; preferential associations of uranium and thorium with other chemical elements and the proportions of radon and thoron in samples. Forty (40) ornamental rocks samples collected in Brazil and Switzerland were studied and submitted to the following analysis: X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thin section microscope analysis, pycnometry, moisture analysis, porosity, permeability, gamma spectrometry, neutron activation analysis, confocal microscopy, radon and thoron exhalation analysis using scintillation cell, radioactivity detection using a portable contamination detector and application of a waterproofing substance. Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis were conducted with Statistica 13 software. The main results of the recommendations were as follows: use of a portable radiation detector as screening method for the selected samples; adopt gamma Index limit value of one (1) for ornamental rock plates; adopt total radon exhalation limit value of 150 Bq/hm2; use polishing and waterproof substance as surface treatment methods for reducing radon and thoron exhalations rates; minerals containing rare earth elements showed higher amount of associated U and Th; Th/U proportions in Brazilian samples (5 to 15) were higher than the global average (3 to 4).

Over the course of normal oil well operations, pipes used downhole in the oil and petroleum industry tend to accumulate a mineral deposit on their interior, which restricts the flow of oil. This deposit, termed scale, will eventually occlude the interior diameter of the pipe making removal from service and descaling a cost effective option. The pipes are sent to cleaning yards where they remain until descaling can be performed. This storage period can potentially create a health concern not only because of the external radiation exposure but also because of the radon gas emissions, both of which are due to the radioactive minerals contained in the scale. It was believed that the structure of the scale is formed tightly enough to prevent much of the radon from becoming airborne. The goal of this research was to determine the emanation fractions for the rattled scale samples from three formations. A high purity germanium detector was used to measure the activities of the parents and progeny of radon, and electret ion chambers were used to measure the concentration of radon emanated from the scale. The emanation fractions of between 4.9x10-5 and 1.08x10-3 for radon were a factor of approximately 100 smaller than previous research results. For thoron, the fractions were and 5.72x10-8 and 4.92x10-7 for thoron with no previous research to compare. However, information that pertains to the temperature dependence of emanation was included in this research and was not available for previous, similar research. Therefore, differences in the environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.) in which the previous experiments were conducted, as well as differences in the scale formation types used, could account for the discrepancy. In addition, measuring the emanation fractions of the rattled scale was a method of determining whether surface to volume ratio dependence existed. After acquiring the emanation fractions, insufficient evidence of any surface to volume ratio dependence could be found.

Over the course of normal oil well operations, pipes used downhole in the oil and petroleum industry tend to accumulate a mineral deposit on their interior, which restricts the flow of oil. This deposit, termed scale, will eventually occlude the interior diameter of the pipe making removal from service and descaling a cost effective option. The pipes are sent to cleaning yards where they remain until descaling can be performed. This storage period can potentially create a health concern not only because of the external radiation exposure but also because of the radon gas emissions, both of which are due to the radioactive minerals contained in the scale. It was believed that the structure of the scale is formed tightly enough to prevent much of the radon from becoming airborne. The goal of this research was to determine the emanation fractions for the rattled scale samples from three formations. A high purity germanium detector was used to measure the activities of the parents and progeny of radon, and electret ion chambers were used to measure the concentration of radon emanated from the scale. The emanation fractions of between 4.9x10-5 and 1.08x10-3 for radon were a factor of approximately 100 smaller than previous research results. For thoron, the fractions were and 5.72x10-8 and 4.92x10-7 for thoron with no previous research to compare. However, information that pertains to the temperature dependence of emanation was included in this research and was not available for previous, similar research. Therefore, differences in the environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.) in which the previous experiments were conducted, as well as differences in the scale formation types used, could account for the discrepancy. In addition, measuring the emanation fractions of the rattled scale was a method of determining whether surface to volume ratio dependence existed. After acquiring the emanation fractions, insufficient evidence of any surface to volume ratio dependence could be found.

Os isótopos do gás radioativo radônio são gerados a partir de qualquer solo ou rocha que contenha urânio e tório na sua composição. Desta forma, rochas ornamentais utilizadas na construção civil são fontes naturais dos isótopos de radônio que podem gerar concentrações em interiores superiores às recomendadas internacionalmente. Visto que o Brasil é um importante produtor e exportador de rochas ornamentais, investigou-se nesta pesquisa: um método de triagem das amostras de baixo custo e eficiente; as correlações entre o Index gama e as exalações de radônio e torônio; a influência dos parâmetros físicos da rocha nas exalações; a distância de difusão do Rn-222 nas placas de rocha; a utilização de métodos de redução das exalações de radônio e torônio; associações preferenciais de urânio e tório com outros elementos químicos e as proporções de radônio e torônio nas amostras. Quarenta (40) amostras de rochas ornamentais coletadas no Brasil e na Suíça foram estudadas e submetidas às seguintes análises: fluorescência de raios X, difração de raios X, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, análise de lâminas em microscópio, picnometria, umidade, porosidade, permeabilidade, espectrometria gama, análise por ativação neutrônica, microscopia confocal, análise das exalações de radônio e torônio utilizando célula de cintilação, detecção de radioatividade utilizando detector portátil de contaminação e aplicação de impermeabilizante. Análises estatísticas univariadas e multivariadas foram conduzidas com o software Statistica 13. Os principais resultados das recomendações foram: uso do detector portátil de radiação como método de triagem das amostras selecionadas; uso do valor limite um (1) do Index gama para placas de rocha ornamental; adotar 150 Bq/hm2 como valor limite de exalação total de radônio; uso de polimento e de substância impermeabilizante como métodos de tratamento superficiais para diminuição das exalações de radônio e torônio; minerais contendo elementos de terras raras apresentaram maior quantidade de U e Th associados; e as proporções de Th/U nas amostras brasileiras (5 a 15) foram maiores do que a média global (3 a 4). / Radioactive radon gas isotopes are generated from any soil or rock containing uranium and thorium in its composition. Thus, ornamental rocks used in construction are natural sources of radon and can generate indoor concentrations higher than those recommended internationally. As Brazil is an important producer and exporter of ornamental rocks; it was investigated in this research: an inexpensive and efficient way of sorting samples; correlations between gamma Index and the exhalations of radon and thoron; the influence of physical parameters on rock exhalations; Rn-222 diffusion length in rock plates; methods for reducing radon and thoron exhalations; preferential associations of uranium and thorium with other chemical elements and the proportions of radon and thoron in samples. Forty (40) ornamental rocks samples collected in Brazil and Switzerland were studied and submitted to the following analysis: X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thin section microscope analysis, pycnometry, moisture analysis, porosity, permeability, gamma spectrometry, neutron activation analysis, confocal microscopy, radon and thoron exhalation analysis using scintillation cell, radioactivity detection using a portable contamination detector and application of a waterproofing substance. Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis were conducted with Statistica 13 software. The main results of the recommendations were as follows: use of a portable radiation detector as screening method for the selected samples; adopt gamma Index limit value of one (1) for ornamental rock plates; adopt total radon exhalation limit value of 150 Bq/hm2; use polishing and waterproof substance as surface treatment methods for reducing radon and thoron exhalations rates; minerals containing rare earth elements showed higher amount of associated U and Th; Th/U proportions in Brazilian samples (5 to 15) were higher than the global average (3 to 4).

<p>U okviru ove doktorske disertacije autor već duže vreme radi&nbsp;na razvijanju i primeni niskofonske gama-spektrometrije na&nbsp;određivanju sadržaja uranijuma i ostalih radionuklida gama&nbsp;emitera u uzorcima zemlji&scaron;ta i sedimenta, kao i na praćenju&nbsp;<br />njihove distribucije i korelacije &scaron;to je od značaja za mapiranje&nbsp;radioaktivnosti poljoprivrednog zemlji&scaron;ta. Pored toga&nbsp;doktorant se bavi proučavanjem ravnoteže u radioaktivnim&nbsp;nizovima uranijuma i torijuma, čiji gasoviti produkti radon&nbsp;²²²Rn i toron&nbsp;²²⁰Rn kao inertni gasovi difuzijom napu&scaron;taju&nbsp;mesto generisanja i na taj način obrazuju značajne&nbsp;koncentracije u zatvorenim prostorima, &scaron;to predstavlja veliki&nbsp;<br />problem za niskofonske podzemne laboratorije i radijacioni&nbsp;rizik izloženog stanovni&scaron;tva. U sklopu ovih istraživanja&nbsp;razvijen je i egzaktan matematički model za određivanje&nbsp;<br />faktora ravnoteže između radona i torona i njihovih&nbsp;kratkoživećih produkata. Dobijeni rezultati će se koristiti za&nbsp;testiranje postojećih metoda merenja radona razvijenih u&nbsp;<br />laboratoriji i primenu za merenje koncentracije aktivnosti&nbsp;radona u urbanim sredinama. Ujedno proučavanje ovih pojava&nbsp;i iznalaženje korekcija na raspad može imati primenu i u&nbsp;drugim nuklearnim analitičkim tehnikama kod kojih je period&nbsp;poluraspada mete uporediv sa vremenom merenja.</p> / <p>In this dissertation the author has been working on the&nbsp;development and application of low-level gamma spectrometry&nbsp;method to determine the content of uranium and other&nbsp;radionuclides gamma emitters in soil and sediment, as well as&nbsp;monitoring their distribution and correlation which is important&nbsp;to map the radioactivity of agricultural soil. In addition, author&nbsp;studies the equilibrium in the radioactive series of &nbsp;uranium and&nbsp;thorium, which gaseous products radon&nbsp;²²²Rn and thoron&nbsp;²²⁰Rn as inert gases leave the place of origin by diffusion and&nbsp;thus forming significant concentrations indoors, which is a&nbsp;significant problem for the low-level underground laboratories&nbsp;and population radiation risk. As part of this research an exact&nbsp;model for the determination of radon and thoron equilibrium&nbsp;was developed. The results will be used to test existing&nbsp;methods of measuring radon developed in the laboratory and&nbsp;the application of the measurement of radon activity&nbsp;concentration in urban areas. At the same time the study of&nbsp;these phenomena and decay corrections may have application&nbsp;in other nuclear analytical techniques in which the half-life of&nbsp;the target is comparable with the time of measurement.</p>