Radon Studies for Uranium Exploration, Environment Health Hazards and Earthquake Prediction

Abstract

During 1975, when my research laboratory in Geochronology became operational in Punjabi University, Patiala, I came in contact with Robert McCorkell, a geologist of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He helped me a lot in sending literature concerning my research in inter-disciplinary areas of my choice. He suggested that using simple instrumentation, one can start some research activity in Radon monitoring in soil and groundwater. On the basis of his suggestion, I applied for a project and CSIR sanctioned "Radon and Thoron Estimation in Soil and Water" in 1979 for three years, at a first instance. In those days, I never thought that Radon monitoring and investigations of its health hazards will keep me busy for next twenty years. However, we had a multi-prong approach to our Radon studies and found applications in biogeochemical exploration of Uranium, earthquake prediction research, and geothermal springs.