Collection and behaviour of radon progenies on thin Mylar foils

Thin Mylar foils are often used to protect detectors from contamination. However, these foils can be electrostatically charged, possibly leading to their contamination with airborne radon progenies. In the present work, the collection and behaviour of radon progenies on Mylar foils was investigated in detail using alpha spectrometry. The radon progenies collection rate of a small Mylar foil (3 cm2) is equivalent to an air sampler with a flow rate of approximately 0.1 m3/h. It was demonstrated that such contamination may jeopardise the validity of the entire analysis if not interpreted correctly.