Method for determining individual deposition velocities of radon progeny

Angell, C.; Pedretti, M.*; Norman, E. B.*

The deposition velocity of radon progeny is used to model the removal of progeny from the air by surfaces in assessing indoor air quality. The deposition velocity can also be used to assess radon-induced background in sensitive, low-background experiments. Typically, a single value of the deposition velocity issued for all radon progeny. This manuscript presents an experimental method for uniquely determining the deposition velocity of each chemical species of radon progeny and demonstrates that the deposition velocities are different for Po, Pb, and, in principle, for Bi as well, and can vary depending on the surface material.