Comparative study of the radon and thoron concentrations in the indoor environment of the Budhakedar region of the Garhwal Himalaya, India

The present study is based on the measurement of the radon and thoron concentrations in the indoor environment of the tectonically active zone of the Garhwal Himalaya region using the portable SMART RnDuo monitor. The concentration of the indoor radon and thoron varies from 60 ± 17 to 213 ± 49 Bq m −3 (with an arithmetic mean of 100 ± 27 Bq m −3 ) and 33 ± 18 to 217 ± 94 Bq m −3 (with an arithmetic mean of 76 ± 33 Bq m −3 ), respectively. The significant contribution of thoron concentration was observed in the present study. The average values of indoor radon and thoron concentrations measured from the sampling sites are well below the recommended level of the World Health Organization.