CAN CAT LITTER BE A SOURCE OF INDOOR RADON

Abstract

Emanation of radon ( 222 Rn) from several brands of cat (kitty) litter was measured with a continuous radon monitor. Radon emanating from the cat litters, encapsulated in an airtight container, produced equilibrium concentrations below 1.2 pCi/g. The measured radon flux was below 10 pCi/kg-hr for all the cat litters. Although each of the samples emitted a measurable amount of radon, the emanation is too small to raise indoor radon concentrations. The cat litters were measured with gamma-ray spectroscopy to identify and quantify the naturally occurring radionuclides in the samples. Secular equilibrium for the 238 U and 232 Th radioactive-decay series