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Field and laboratory measurements were made to test the validity of methods for calculating radon-flux attenuation through earthen covers as described in A Handbook for the Determination of Radon Attenuation Through Cover Materials, NUREG/CR-3533. The validity of the diffusion equations presented in the handbook was established by the generally good agreement between the measured radon flux at six field sites and the flux predicted when measured properties of soil underlying these sites were used in these equations. When approximate values presented in the handbook for various soil properties were used in the diffusion equations, the predicted fluxes were larger than the measured values by factors of up to 31. However, investigation of the theoretical relationship between the radon flux from an earth-covered tailings pile and the thickness of that cover indicated that the latter would only be overestimated by a factor of up to 1.5 at field sites similar to those examined in this study.