Experimental verification of the attachment theory of radon progeny onto ambient aerosols.

The attachment theory of radon progeny onto ambient aerosols was experimentally verified with a cascade impactor and a graded screen array at the EML environmental chamber. Monodisperse aerosols in the size range of 70 to 500 nm were generated with Carnauba wax by means of the evaporation-condensation method. The temperature and the relative humidity in the chamber were set at 20 degrees C and 20%, respectively, throughout the entire experiment. When the aerosols were being injected into the chamber, both the number size distribution and the activity-weighted size distribution of attached radon progeny were stable. The activity-weighted size distribution was compared with the attachment rate distribution obtained by measuring the number size distribution with the SMPS and multiplying the size-dependent attachment coefficient. There was a relatively good agreement between the two distributions.