210Pb concentration in household dust: a potential indicator of long-term indoor radon exposure

2009 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-432
Author(s):  
Jing Chen ◽  
Weihua Zhang ◽  
Diane G. Sandles ◽  
Rachel Timmins ◽  
Kyle Verdecchia
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Household Dust ◽  
Radon Exposure ◽  
Potential Indicator ◽  
210Pb Concentration

Estimation of health risk and effective dose based on measured radon levels in Korean homes and a qualitative assessment for residents’ radon awareness

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1123-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geon-Woo Lee ◽  
Ji-Yeon Yang ◽  
Hyo-Jung Kim ◽  
Myung-Hee Kwon ◽  
Woo-Suk Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Effective Dose ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Effective Radiation Dose ◽  
Radon Exposure ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
Exposure Routes ◽  
Effective Radiation

More than 50% of the worldwide effective radiation dose from natural sources is known to be due to 222Rn. Indoor radon levels were measured in homes with long-term exposure and in relation to time spent for residents. Measurements were conducted after categorizing homes by type, and the results (mean ± S.D) showed that detached houses, apartments and multifamily houses had radon concentrations of 97 ± 110, 51 ± 24 and 59 ± 34 Bq/m3, respectively. Surveys were conducted with 620 people to analyse resident awareness of radon levels and time that residents spend in homes. Using these results, the annual effective dose and risk level were computed. The survey showed that residents of Korean homes had little awareness regarding the source of radon, exposure routes and contamination levels. The excess risk of lung cancer after exposure for 70 years was determined to be 0.55/100 people, which jumped to 2.7/100 people for residents in detached houses in highly exposed areas. Compared to the effects of radon exposure in workplaces and schools, the health risks from radon in Korean homes are especially high. Therefore, the management policies for susceptible groups are important.

Long-Lived Radon Decay Products as a Long-Term Radon Exposure Indicator

1994 ◽  
Vol 56 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 123-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Samuelsson ◽  
L. Johansson
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Radon Exposure ◽  
Decay Products ◽  
Decay Series ◽  
Radon Diffusion ◽  
Radon Daughter ◽  
Radon Decay ◽  
Low Activity ◽  
Long Term Studies

Abstract The different members of the uranium decay series have distinct roles to play in the scenario of indoor radon. The 222Rn gas is the airborne carrier of the dose giving short-lived decay products. These transform into long-lived daughters (LRnD) of low activity, useful as retrospective radon tracers. Porous objects constitute volume traps for LRnD via radon diffusion, while surfaces trap LRnD through alpha recoil implantation. Only when the build-up of LRnD activity proceeds undisturbed over many years, do we have a system which is potentially useful for retrospective radon/radon daughter exposure studies. The feasibility of using LRnD in humans and in volume and surface traps as radon retrospective monitors is discussed. It is concluded that only surface implantation sinks are potentially well suited for long-term studies at radon levels met in dwellings.

scholarly journals Indoor radon concentration and a diffusion model in dwellings situated in a subalkaline granitoid area, Southern Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Romero-Mujalli ◽  
A. Roisenberg ◽  
A. Cordova-Gonzalez ◽  
P. H. P. Stefano
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Model ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Indoor Radon Concentration ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Environmental Limits ◽  
Radon Measurements ◽  
Cr 39 Detectors

AbstractRadon (Rn), a radioactive element, has especial interest in medical geology because long-term exposure to high concentration is related to lung cancer. In this study, outdoor and indoor radon measurements were conducted in dwellings of the Piquiri Syenite Massif, located in southern Brazil, given the relative high Rn content in soils of this region. Measurements were done using CR-39 detectors and placing them inside and outside dwellings. Moreover, a one-dimensional diffusion model was performed in order to quantify the natural transport of Rn to the air in confined and aerated environments. Results indicate that the region presents relatively low air Rn concentrations, within the environmental limits; however, the health risk might increase in confined and ill-ventilated environments because of transfer from soil and exhalation from ornamental rock-material often found inside dwellings. The main north facies of the syenite, where most of the rock extractions are located, was found to have the highest air Rn concentration because of the higher soil Rn concentration, compared to other facies of the syenite.

scholarly journals Long-Term Impacts of Weather Conditions on Indoor Radon Concentration Measurements in Switzerland

Atmosphere ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Joan Frédéric Rey ◽  
Stéphane Goyette ◽  
Mauro Gandolla ◽  
Martha Palacios ◽  
Fabio Barazza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radon Concentration ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Indoor Radon Concentration ◽  
Prone Area ◽  
Building Characteristics ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Radon Measurements

Radon is a natural and radioactive gas that can accumulate in indoor environments. Indoor radon concentration (IRC) is influenced, among other factors, by meteorology, which is the subject of this paper. Weather parameters impact indoor radon levels and have already been investigated, but rarely in Switzerland. Moreover, there is a strong need for a better understanding of the radon behaviour inside buildings in Switzerland for public health concerns as Switzerland is a radon prone area. Based on long-term, continuous, and hourly radon measurements, radon distributions classified according to different weather event definitions were investigated and then compared at three different study sites in Western Switzerland. Outdoor temperature influences the most indoor radon, and it is globally anti-correlated. Wind influences indoor radon, but it strongly depends on intensity, direction, and building characteristics. Precipitation influences periodically indoor radon levels relatively to their intensity. Atmospheric pressure and relative humidity do not seem to be huge determinants on IRC. Our results are in line with previous findings and provide a vivid example in Western Switzerland. This paper underlines the different influence complexities of radon, and the need to communicate about it within the broader public and with construction professionals, to raise awareness.

scholarly journals Assessment of thoron contribution to indoor radon exposure in Canada

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Chen
Keyword(s):  
Detection Limit ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Pooled Analysis ◽  
Geometric Standard Deviation ◽  
Radon Exposure ◽  
Canadian Population ◽  
Almost All

AbstractFrom 2007 to 2013, simultaneous radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) measurements were conducted in a total of 3534 residential homes in 34 metropolitan areas covering 71% of the Canadian population. While radon levels were above the detector’s detection limit in almost all homes, thoron concentrations were measurable in only 1738 homes. When analysis was limited to homes where thoron concentrations exceeded the detection limit, a pooled analysis confirmed that thoron is log-normally distributed in the indoor environment, and the distribution was characterized by a population-weighted geometric mean of 13 Bq/m3 and a geometric standard deviation of 1.89. Thoron contribution to indoor radon dose varied widely, ranging from 1.3 to 32% geographically. This study indicated that on average, thoron contributes 4% of the radiation dose due to total indoor radon exposure (222Rn and 220Rn) in Canada.

scholarly journals The first version of the Pan-European Indoor Radon Map

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 2451-2464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Elío ◽  
Giorgia Cinelli ◽  
Peter Bossew ◽  
José Luis Gutiérrez-Villanueva ◽  
Tore Tollefsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Uranium Concentration ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Grid Cells ◽  
Indoor Radon Concentration ◽  
Radon Exposure ◽  
Bedrock Geology ◽  
Distance Weighting ◽  
Few Data ◽  
Secondary Variable ◽  
Inverse Distance

Abstract. A hypothetical Pan-European Indoor Radon Map has been developed using summary statistics estimated from 1.2 million indoor radon samples. In this study we have used the arithmetic mean (AM) over grid cells of 10 km × 10 km to predict a mean indoor radon concentration at ground-floor level of buildings in the grid cells where no or few data (N<30) are available. Four interpolation techniques have been tested: inverse distance weighting (IDW), ordinary kriging (OK), collocated cokriging with uranium concentration as a secondary variable (CCK), and regression kriging with topsoil geochemistry and bedrock geology as secondary variables (RK). Cross-validation exercises have been carried out to assess the uncertainties associated with each method. Of the four methods tested, RK has proven to be the best one for predicting mean indoor radon concentrations; and by combining the RK predictions with the AM of the grids with 30 or more measurements, a Pan-European Indoor Radon Map has been produced. This map represents a first step towards a European radon exposure map and, in the future, a radon dose map.

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