Results of the Representative Italian National Survey on Radon Indoors (original) (raw)

Indoor radon concentration and gamma dose rate in dwellings of the Province of Naples, South Italy, and estimation of the effective dose to the inhabitants

Radioprotection, 2016

The indoor radon concentration was measured in 471 dwellings in the Province of Naples. Radon concentration measurements were carried out using LR-115 passive alpha track detectors (SSNTDs) that were exposed for two consecutive semesters. The annual average radon concentration in the dwellings was found to vary from 21 to 722 Bq m −3 with an average value of 107 ± 75 Bq m −3. In about 93% of the dwellings the radon concentrations were found to be below 200 Bq m −3 , which is the recommended level by Italian law for new buildings. Simultaneously with the radon concentration measurements, indoor gamma dose rates were measured in 388 dwellings. Indoor gamma dose rates were measured using Thermoluminescent Dosimeters (TLDs) exposed in each dwelling for six months. The arithmetic mean value was found to be 327 ± 102 nGy h −1 , after the subtraction of the cosmic ray contribution. A weak correlation between the indoor radon concentration and gamma dose rate was found. The correlation between indoor radon measurements and gamma dose rates and the same building characteristics was also studied.

Radon Exposure Assessment and Relative Effective Dose Estimation to Inhabitants of Puglia Region, South Italy

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2015

Indoor radon concentrations were measured in dwellings of the Puglia region in Southern Italy using LR-115 passive detectors. The results show that the radon concentrations varied from 15 ± 2 to 2166 ± 133 Bq/m 3 with a geometric mean of 114 Bq/m 3 and a geometric standard deviation of 2.3. An analysis on the factors affecting radon concentration such as age of the dwellings, floors, and stories, was performed. The mean effective dose to inhabitants has been calculated and found to be 8.2 mSv/y. Finally, for estimation of cancer risks, the lifetime risk and lung cancer cases per years per million have been calculated.

Human exposure to indoor radon: a survey in the region of Guarda, Portugal

Radiation protection dosimetry, 2013

Radon ((222)Rn) is a radioactive gas, abundant in granitic areas, such as the city of Guarda at the northeast of Portugal. This gas is recognised as a carcinogenic agent, being appointed by the World Health Organization as the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoke. Therefore, the knowledge of radon concentrations inside the houses (where people stay longer) is important from the point of view of radiological protection. The main goal of this study was to assess the radon concentration in an area previously identified with a potentially high level of residential radon. The radon concentration was measured using CR-39 detectors, exposed for a period of 2 months in 185 dwellings in the Guarda region. The radon concentration in studied dwellings, ranged between 75 and 7640 Bq m(-3), with a geometric mean of 640 Bq m(-3) and an arithmetic mean of 1078 Bq m(-3). Based on a local winter-summer radon concentration variation model, these values would correspond to an annual...

Indoor Radon Concentration and Risk Assessment in 27 Districts of a Public Healthcare Company in Naples, South Italy

Life

Radon is a major source of ionizing radiation exposure for the general population. It is known that exposure to radon is a risk factor for the onset of lung cancer. In this study, the results of a radon survey conducted in all districts of a Public Healthcare in Italy, are reported. Measurements of indoor radon were performed using nuclear track detectors, CR-39. The entire survey was conducted according to a well-established quality assurance program. The annual effective dose and excess lifetime cancer risk were also calculated. Results show that the radon concentrations varied from 7 ± 1 Bq/m3 and 5148 ± 772 Bq/m3, with a geometric mean of 67 Bq/m3 and geometric standard deviation of 2.5. The annual effective dose to workers was found to be 1.6 mSv/y and comparable with the worldwide average. In Italy, following the transposition of the European Directive 59/2013, great attention was paid to the radon risk in workplaces. The interest of the workers of the monitored sites was very...

Results of the first 5 years of a study on year-to-year variations of radon concentration in Italian dwellings

Radiation Measurements, 2009

Radon concentration in air is subject to significant variations at different time scales, owing to several factors. In general, the shorter the time period considered, the larger the variations in radon concentration, e.g., day-to-day variations are usually higher than month-to-month variations. An average over 12 consecutive months is generally considered the best estimate of the long-term average radon concentration. Due

Annual average and seasonal variations of residential radon concentration for all the Italian Regions

Radiation Measurements, 2005

A representative National Survey to evaluate the exposure to natural sources of ionizing radiation in dwellings was conducted in all the 21 Italian Regions from 1989 to 1998, and the complete results are reported in this paper. Radon concentration was measured for two consecutive 6-month periods (generally covering the spring-summer and autumn-winter seasons) in one room, usually the main bedroom, of each surveyed dwelling. Validated radon concentration measurements were obtained for * Corresponding author.

Radon Levels in Indoor Environments of the University Hospital in Bari-Apulia Region Southern Italy

International journal of environmental research and public health, 2018

Since 1988, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radon among the compounds for which there is scientific evidence of carcinogenicity for humans (group 1). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a reference radon level between 100 and 300 Bq/m³ for homes. The objective of this study is to measure the radon concentrations in 401 workplaces, different from the patient rooms, in 28 different buildings of the university hospital in Bari (Apulia region, Southern Italy) to evaluate the exposure of health care workers. Radon environmental sampling is performed over two consecutive six-month periods via the use of passive dosimeters of the CR-39 type. We find an average annual radon concentration expressed as median value of 48.0 Bq/m³ (range 6.5-388.0 Bq/m³) with a significant difference between the two six-month periods (median value: February/July 41.0 Bq/m³ vs. August/January 55.0 Bq/m³). An average concentration of radon lower than the WHO refere...

Estimates of the Lung Cancer Cases Attributable to Radon in Municipalities of Two Apulia Provinces (Italy) and Assessment of Main Exposure Determinants

International journal of environmental research and public health, 2018

Indoor radon exposure is responsible for increased incidence of lung cancer in communities. Building construction characteristics, materials, and environmental determinants are associated with increased radon concentration at specific sites. In this study, routine data related to radon measurements available from the Apulia (Italy) Regional Environmental Protection Agency (ARPA) were combined with building and ground characteristics data. An algorithm was created based on the experience of miners and it was able to produce estimates of lung cancer cases attributable to radon in different municipalities with the combined data. In the province of Lecce, the sites with a higher risk of lung cancer are Campi Salentina and Minervino, with 1.18 WLM (working level months) and 1.38 WLM, respectively, corresponding to lung cancer incidence rates of 3.34 and 3.89 per 10 × 10³ inhabitants. The sites in the province of Bari with higher risks of lung cancer are Gravina di Puglia and Locoro...

National survey on indoor radon in Spain

Environment International, 1991

A national survey on indoor radon levels in Spain has been carried out by measuring the radon concentration in 1555 randomly chosen houses. Measurements were performed during the winter season of 1988 with complementary measurements in the winter of 1989. Radon in air was determined using modified alpha-scintillation cells under specified conditions in the sampling collection and nuclear track detectors in selected houses. The distribution of indoor radon levels has been found to be approximately log-normal with a geometric mean of 41.1 Bq. m "~ and a standard deviation of 3.0. The highest value of the radon concentration found was 15 400 Bq. m 4 In about 4% of the houses, the radon concentration was found to be in excess of the recently recommended value of 400 Bq. m 4, suggested by the Commission of the European Communities (CEC). Elevated indoor levels were found to be more prevalent in the west and northwest than in the rest of the country. Also shown in this paper is an evaluation of the median effective dose equivalent to the individual in Spanish houses for different regions.