What are the units of measuring radon levels?
The concentration of radon in the air is measured in units of picocuries per litre (pCi/L) or becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3). One Bq corresponds to one disintegration per second. One pCi/L is equivalent to 37 Bq/m3.
The concentration of radon daughters is measured in units of working level (WL) which is a measure of the potential alpha particles energy per litre of air. One WL of radon daughters corresponds to approximately 200 pCi/L of radon in a typical indoor environment. However, the relative concentration of radon and radon daughters may vary from one building to another. In the extreme case 1 WL corresponds to 100 pCi/L of radon. This situation is called full equilibrium and is extremely unlikely to occur. Occupational exposure to radon daughters is expressed in working level months (WLM) and a working level month is equivalent to the exposure at an average concentration of 1 WL for 170 working hours. Measurement data are reported in either of the above units. For making comparisons between the data from different sources, the following conversion chart may be useful:
1 pCi/L = 37 Bq/m3
1 m3 = 1000 L
0.01 WL = 74 Bq/m3 = 2 pCi/L
0.02 WL = 148 Bq/m3 = 4 pCi/L
0.1 WL = 800 Bq/m3 = 20 pCi/L