Effects of thoron on a radon detector of pulse-ionization chamber type.

A radon detector of pulse-ionization chamber (PIC) type could have some sensitivity for thoron. Thus, the presence of thoron could interfere with precise measurement of radon. In the present study, effects of thoron on the most common type of PIC detector (commercial name AlphaGUARD) were investigated using an exposure chamber. The AlphaGUARD was exposed to a mixture of radon and thoron, together with a radon/thoron discriminative monitor that employs a silicon solid-state detector. The thoron sensitivity of the PIC detector was estimated by comparing the two detectors. As a result, the thoron sensitivity was about 10% compared with the radon sensitivity. In other words, the radon concentration (Bq m(-3)) measured with the PIC detector was approximately the sum of the actual radon concentration (Bq m(-3)) and 10% of the thoron concentration (Bq m(-3)). The sensitivity to thoron should be considered in measurements in thoron-enhanced areas.