This study investigated the effects of dwelling type, wall and floor coverings, radium‐226 concentration, soil moisture, and radon exhalation on indoor radon‐222 levels in the gold‐mining community of Akyempim, Ghana. Indoor radon was monitored using CR‐39 solid‐state nuclear track detectors deployed in 144 rooms across 21 sites for 90 days. Concentrations ranged from 18.1–204.9 Bq/m 3 (84.9 ± 5.2 Bq/m 3 ). Concrete dwellings showed the highest mean (80.3 ± 8.2Bq/m 3 ), with 26.5% of results exceeding the WHO guideline of 100 Bq/m 3 , whereas wooden houses had the lowest (58.9 ± 5.3Bq/m 3 ), with none exceeding the WHO reference value. Bedrooms recorded significantly higher levels than kitchens and sitting rooms, with 23.3%, 2.1%, and 1.9% exceeding 100 Bq/m 3 (WHO), respectively, largely due to poor ventilation. Internal coverings influenced radon accumulation, as painted walls and mortar floors were associated with higher concentrations than paper‐plastered walls and tiled floors. Soil analysis ( n = 60) revealed radium‐226 levels of 3.8–54.1 Bq/kg , radon exhalation rates of 0.7–19.2 μ Bq m −2 h −1 (mean 6.4 ± 0.7), and soil moisture ranging from 6.0–31.0% (mean 14.4 ± 0.7). A strong positive correlation ( r = 0.84) was observed between soil radium content and radon exhalation. The findings highlight the importance of building materials and ventilation in radon exposure and provide baseline data and spatial mapping to support public health policies and building regulations in mining communities.
Otoo et al. (Thu,) studied this question.