RADON RISK COMMUNICATION ISSUES: RESULTS OF THE ALL-RUSSIAN PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY

1,500 respondents took part in an Internet survey conducted in autumn 2020 in the Russian Federation. The survey was a part of the Radon Cross-Cultural Multilingual Public Opinion Survey (STEAM project) in the framework of the IAEA technical cooperation project RER9153. The survey was representative for the population of the country as per sex, age, and a region of residence. Random sampling error didn’t exceed 2.5 % for 95 % confidence interval. All respondents were given some information on radon that was as similar as possible in questionnaires published in languages spoken in all 22 coun- tries that took part in the STEAM project; it was done in order to provide an opportunity to make further cross-country com- parison of the survey results. The objective of the survey was to investigate what attitudes people had towards their health and towards radon as a possible health risk factor. The survey revealed that in the Russian Federation people were rather poorly aware about radon. Only 31.7 % re- spondents stated that they were to a greater or lesser extent informed about radon. The level of knowledge about radon as a health risk factor was at a comparable level. For the majority of respondents, information about radon received from Ro- spotrebnadzor and its subordinate research institute formed the perception of radon as a risk factor that requires actions to mitigate its impact on health. Medical specialists turned out to be the most trustworthy source of information about health risks, first of all, family doctors and physicians in polyclinics; people also trusted medical prevention centers, Rospotrebnad- zor, regional and local public health care authorities. Results of the presented survey that was the first social survey focusing on the radon problem and conducted throughout the country can be used as a basis for planning communication strategies within the framework of both national and regional radon programs.

RADON RISK COMMUNICATION ISSUES: RESULTS OF THE ALL-RUSSIAN PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY

1,500 respondents took part in an Internet survey conducted in autumn 2020 in the Russian Federation. The survey was a part of the Radon Cross-Cultural Multilingual Public Opinion Survey (STEAM project) in the framework of the IAEA technical cooperation project RER9153. The survey was representative for the population of the country as per sex, age, and a region of residence. Random sampling error didn’t exceed 2.5 % for 95 % confidence interval. All respondents were given some information on radon that was as similar as possible in questionnaires published in languages spoken in all 22 coun- tries that took part in the STEAM project; it was done in order to provide an opportunity to make further cross-country com- parison of the survey results. The objective of the survey was to investigate what attitudes people had towards their health and towards radon as a possible health risk factor. The survey revealed that in the Russian Federation people were rather poorly aware about radon. Only 31.7 % re- spondents stated that they were to a greater or lesser extent informed about radon. The level of knowledge about radon as a health risk factor was at a comparable level. For the majority of respondents, information about radon received from Ro- spotrebnadzor and its subordinate research institute formed the perception of radon as a risk factor that requires actions to mitigate its impact on health. Medical specialists turned out to be the most trustworthy source of information about health risks, first of all, family doctors and physicians in polyclinics; people also trusted medical prevention centers, Rospotrebnad- zor, regional and local public health care authorities. Results of the presented survey that was the first social survey focusing on the radon problem and conducted through- out the country can be used as a basis for planning communication strategies within the framework of both national and regional radon programs.

How Do Inflammatory Mediators, Immune Response and Air Pollution Contribute to COVID-19 Disease Severity? A Lesson to Learn

Inflammatory and immune processes are defensive mechanisms that aim to remove harmful agents. As a response to infections, inflammation and immune response contribute to the pathophysiological mechanisms of diseases. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), whose underlying mechanisms remain not fully elucidated, has posed new challenges for the knowledge of pathophysiology. Chiefly, the inflammatory process and immune response appear to be unique features of COVID-19 that result in developing a hyper-inflammatory syndrome, and air pollution, the world’s largest health risk factor, may partly explain the behaviour and fate of COVID-19. Understanding the mechanisms involved in the progression of COVID-19 is of fundamental importance in order to avoid the late stage of the disease, associated with a poor prognosis. Here, the role of the inflammatory and immune mediators in COVID-19 pathophysiology is discussed.

Cadmium in Herbal Weight Loss Products as a Health Risk Factor for Consumers

Herbal weight loss remedies are produced on the basis of various plant species which could accumulate heavy metals from the environment. The consumption of contaminated herbal preparations could be a source of consumer exposure to toxic metals. The aim of the study was to evaluate the content of cadmium in selected herbal weight loss products available on the Polish market in terms of exposure of consumers to the heavy metal included in herbal infusions prepared from the studied products and the related health risk. The study included 29 herbal weight loss products available on the Polish market. The content of cadmium in the analyzed dried herbs and herbal infusions was analyzed. On the basis of the obtained results, the exposure of consumers to cadmium and related health risk were estimated. Cadmium concentration in dried herbs did not exceed the maximum allowable concentration. The exposure of consumers of the most contaminated herbal infusions to cadmium could be even equal to half of the reference dose, which is an acceptable exposure threshold. The total health risk of consumers resulting from the dietary exposure to cadmium could be high because the analyzed herbal products are not the essential part of the total diet.