Objective Based on the experience gained from the first phase of the RARE project (CEC Contract No. B17-CT90-0013) the project period 1992-95 has resulted in necessary and important developments for practical application of RARE methods. Major advancements in background discriminating track-etch devices for specific measurement of implanted polonium-210 have been made and together with progresses in the volume-trap approach, large-area alpha spectrometry, and chemical analyses of surface activities, there now exist a whole range of RARE techniques that can be applied for instance in radon epidemiology investigations. The development of reliable polonium-210 track-etch devices is of special significance, making large-scale and non-destructive in situ investigations of implanted polonium-210 feasable. The volume trap technique developed and investigated by Mol is also of great importance as the surface trap problem of plate-out variabilities is avoided.Only past radon exposures are relevant when estimating lung cancer risks today. The proposed project takes advantage of the fact that long-lived decay products of Rn-222 (radon) can be utilized to reveal radon exposures retrospectively. In the previous phase of the project (EC No. B17-CT9O-0013 it was concluded that Po-210 implanted in vitreous glass fulfils the basic demands of a retrospective radon system. The determination of the precision is not straightforward, however, as glass objects of precisely known radon exposure histories are lacking. In order to be able to assess the applicability and precision of retrospective radon methods, a combination of theoretical, laboratory, and in situ exercises will be performed. Room modelling calculations focussed on the fate of the long-lived daughters and on sensitivity analysis will support the experimental studies. Basic investigations in radon rooms under well controlled aerosol conditions are necessary. Parameters influencing the plate-out of the individual short-lived daughters, as well as the implanted Po-210 in surfaces and the ingrowth of Po-210 in spongy materials, will be studied. The specially developed open-flow pulse ionization chamber will be utilized as a reference detector for Po-210 implanted in glass sheets and these chambers will be applied both in the field and in the laboratory studies. The development of an inexpensive, large-scale track-etch detector for implanted Po-210 has high priority and two of the proposed contractors will investigate the difficult field of alpha-energy-sensitive autoradiography. Compared with the previous phase of the project, tests and measurements in dwellings will be more frequent. Dwellings in which radon was measured in the 70's will be investigated again, now for both radon and Po-210, and autoradiographic track-etch methods will be tested in situ and compared with other field methods and laboratory tests of radon-exposed objects. Fields of science natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrynoble gaseshumanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorymedical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologylung cancermedical and health scienceshealth sciencespublic healthepidemiologyengineering and technologymaterials engineering Programme(s) FP3-NFS 1 - Research and education programme (Euratom) in the field of nuclear fission safety, 1990-1994 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator BELGIAN NUCLEAR RESEARCH CENTRE EU contribution No data Address 200,Herrmann Debrouxlaan 40-42 1160 BRUXELLES Belgium See on map Total cost No data Participants (4) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all GENT UNIVERSITY Belgium EU contribution No data Address 86,Proeftuinstraat 86 9000 GENT See on map Total cost No data LUND UNIVERSITY Sweden EU contribution No data Address 3,Lasarettet 221 00 LUND See on map Total cost No data SWEDISH RADIATION PROTECTION INSTITUTE Sweden EU contribution No data Address 171 16 SOLNA See on map Total cost No data UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN Ireland EU contribution No data Address Stillorgan Road 4 Dublin See on map Total cost No data
