Occupational and patient doses in the therapeutic cave, Tapolca (Hungary).

The radon concentration has been measured for three years in a hospital cave used for medical treatment of respiratory diseases. A mean value of the actual equilibrium factor measured in the cave in different seasons was used, different from the commonly used 0.4. The dose contribution to the patients and the staff was calculated using these data. The results of the dose assessment show that the staff in the hospital cave can receive doses up to the dose limit for occupational exposure (20 mSv y(-1)) when working 4 h per day in the cave. Patients receive 0.18-4.22 mSv committed effective dose during the treatment period depending on the exposure periods. The only solution to reduce the dose to the staff seems to be decreasing the time they spend underground, because intensive ventilation would disturb the special microclimate of the cave.