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

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.

Influence of some specific meteorological events on indoor radon dynamic in western Switzerland

Radon is a natural radioactive gas that may cumulate in indoor environments. The impacts of weather events on indoor radon concentration had been explored in different places around the world but only marginally in Switzerland. Using basic statistical analysis, this study investigates different meteorological parameters’ influence on indoor radon concentrations and shows that outdoor air temperature is the most influential beyond others. Finally, this paper highlights the importance of radon dynamic in buildings, a topic often overlooked by construction professionals and the broader public in Switzerland.

Substantiation of methodical approaches to the control of indoor radon concentration in existing public buildings with non-round-the-clock stay of people

According to the analysis of requests for methodological assistance to the Saint-Petersburg Research In ­stitute of Radiation Hygiene after Professor P. V. Ramzaev, measurements of radon concentration (or radon EEC) in existing operated public buildings (primarily children institutions) in the framework of surveillance actions in the regions of the Russian Federation, as a rule, are taken according to Guidelines MU 2.6.1.2838-11, intended for radiation control of public buildings only when they are put into operation after construction, major repairs or reconstruction, due to the absence of special guidelines. Compliance with the requirements of paragraph 6.5 of MU 2.6.1.2838-11 means that the building and premises are in a state that is not equal to their normal operation mode. Registration of high values of indoor radon concentration in this case leads to management decisions, including administrative suspension o f activities for up to ninety days, i.e. the closure of individual premises or even the entire building of a children institution. The consequences of making such decisions may include an increase in social tension in society and provoking radiophobia among the population. The paper presents specific recommendations for the radon survey for existing operated public buildings with non-round-the-clock stay of people, which are based on the results of the analysis of the experience of practical application of various methods of measuring indoor radon concentrations in such buildings in order to assess average radon concentration during working hours in the normal operation mode. The proposed approach can be further used as the basis for developing special guidelines for radiation control of existing operated public buildings with non-round-the-clock stay of people.

Prognostic assessment of lung cancer risk under combined action of radon and smoking using an additive-multiplicative risk model

An application of geometric mixed additive-multiplicative models for lung cancer risk modeling under combined action of radon and smoking is justified in this paper. The geometric mixed model allows: 1) to reduce the discrepancies between estimates of the lung cancer risk for males and females, 2) to predict the population risk under condition of the varying smoking prevalence and changing average indoor radon concentration level. Using the geometric mixed model, the calculation of the lung cancer risks for the Russian Federation population was carried out for different percentages of smokers among the population, an increase in life expectancy, and a change in the average radon concentration level in residential buildings. Assuming that currently rounded average indoor radon concentration in Russia is 50 Bq/m3, the contribution of radon to total mortality in 2009 was 0.46% and 0.20% for male and female, respectively. Modeling has shown that the effect of lung cancer mortality reducing due to the predicted decrease in the proportion of smoking population will partly be offset by an increase in the realization of lung cancer risk with the life expectancy increase. For a hypothetical situation, when the entire population maintain a healthy lifestyle and mortality from cardiovascular, oncological, infectious diseases, diseases of the respiratory tract and from external causes has significantly decreased, the contribution of radon exposure to total mortality will increase to about 0.8%. If the average level of radon in buildings will increase due to energy-efficient technologies widespread implementation in building construction, the contribution of radon to total mortality will be even more noticeable.

The Alpha Particle Doses Received by Students and Staff in Twenty Schools in the North of Hebron Region - Palestine

The aim of the current study was to measure indoor radon concentration levels and its resulting doses received by the students and staff in schools of the directorate of education in the north of Hebron region- Palestine, during the summer months from June to September (2018), using CR-39 detectors. In this study, a total of 567 CR-39-based radon detectors were installed in the selected schools. The average radon concentrations were found to be 90.0, 66.5 and 58.0 Bqm-3 in Halhul, Beit Umar and Alarrub camp schools, respectively. Based on the measured indoor radon data, the overall average effective dose for the studied area was found to be 0.31 mSvy-1. Reported values for radon concentrations and corresponding doses are lower than ICRP recommended limits for workplaces. The results show no significant radiological risk for the pupils and staff in the schools under investigation. Consequently, the health hazards related to radiation are expected to be negligible. Keywords: Radon concentration, Alpha particles, Annual effective dose, Schools. PACs: 29.40.−n.