In "Tracing NAPL Contamination of Groundwater Using Natural Radon: A Case-Study in Roma (Central Italy)", researchers provide findings from an extensive study where radon measurements were used to map areas contaminated with non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL) - volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that do not dissolve readily in water. The results show that radon deficits trace the locations of NAPLs very well. A good correspondence between a low amount of radon and a higher concentration of NAPLs was found.
Good Reads
A wealth of indirect evidence suggests that dark matter makes up 85% of the matter in our universe, but despite several decades of searching with ever more sensitive detectors, we are yet to conclusively 'see' it directly. Any background radiation can swamp the faint dark matter signal, so the detectors are typically placed deep underground in mines to get away from the cosmic radiation that bombards the Earth's surface. Even underground though, trace amounts of radium in detector components can emanate enough radon to cause an unwanted background signal.
In his paper, "Test of low radioactive molecular sieves for radon filtration in SF6 gas-based rare-event physics experiments," author Rob Gregorio, in collaboration with physicists at Kobe and CST Nihon Universities in Japan, and the University of Sheffield in the UK, took advantage of the RAD7's vanishingly small intrinsic background to measure both the tiny radon emanation and also the radon absorption efficiency of molecular seives designed to scrub radon and other contaminants from the SF6 gas used in some dark matter search experiments. SF6 is a potent greenhouse gas, so the ability to repurify the gas (instead of flowing it through the detector once before disposal) is a benefit not only to the experiments but also to the environment.
Rob is a PhD student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sheffield. He is undertaking a PhD part-funded by DURRIDGE UK, where he also works part-time as a calibration technician.
Did You Know?
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DURRIDGE Tip
The Durridge RAD7 with CAPTURE software can trigger an alarm or email an alert when your RAD7 reaches a threshold radon or thoron level. This is useful in many applications, especially when the health of workers or the public is at stake. To learn more, see our application note, "Triggering Actions Based on RAD7 Measurements."
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