The determination of radon-prone areas is usually based on indoor radon data and on the prognosis of the occurrence of houses exceeding the action level. However, the sample of houses in the survey must be representative and large enough, which is not easy to fulfill. Despite this, the determination of localities with high radon risk is useful not only for planning of indoor radon surveys, but also mainly for predicting the risk in newly built houses. There exist two more sources of data that can be used when assigning radon-related index to territories: soil gas radon measurements and gamma dose rate maps, both having their own inaccuracies. An attempt has been made to combine Czech indoor radon data, soil gas radon data and gamma dose rate maps for municipalities, where available. The radon-related index has been constructed by means of statistical analysis (linear regression). The equations found can be used for predicting the radon risk of the municipalities where the data sets are not large enough.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncr084 | DOI Listing |
Health Phys
January 2025
Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle University, Tigray, Ethiopia.
In the present study, we are presenting the results of radium content, radon concentration, and radon exhalation rates (both mass and area) for 32 soil samples collected from different locations of Abi-Adi Town, Ethiopia, by using the sealed can technique containing a LR-115 Type-II plastic detector. The values of radium content from soil samples were found to vary from 35.26 Bq kg-1 to 101.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRadiat Prot Dosimetry
January 2025
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada.
This study assesses the activity concentrations of the radionuclides 238U, 232Th, and 40K in soil samples collected from Wolaita Sodo town, located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' (SNNP) Region, Ethiopia. A gamma-ray spectrometer equipped with a NaI(Tl) detector was used for the measurements. The concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 40K varied from 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Int
January 2025
Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy.
Radon (Rn) is a radioactive gas with well-documented harmful effects; the World Health Organization has confirmed it as a cancerogenic for humans. These detrimental effects have prompted Europe to establish national reference levels to protect the exposed population. This is reflected in European directive 59/2013/EURATOM, which has been transposed into the national regulations of EU Member States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Radiat Isot
March 2025
School of Applied Mathematics and Informatics, University of Osijek, Trg Ljudevita Gaja 6, Osijek, Croatia.
The national radon surveys in Montenegro revealed that the highest annual average radon concentrations (C) in ground floors of dwellings and schools were found in a rural region characterized as a typical high-karst area. In this region, spanning approximately 800 km, C values in 9 houses and 16 schools ranged from 219 to 2494 Bq/m, with AM = 977 Bq/m. To investigate the causes of these elevated indoor radon concentrations, the following parameters were measured near the 25 surveyed buildings: soil humidity, electrical conductivity, pH, activity concentrations of Ra, U, U, Th and K, radon concentration in soil gas (c), soil permeability for radon gas (k), and gamma dose rate in the air.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02114.
Radon, a common radioactive indoor air pollutant, is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Knowledge about its distribution is essential for risk assessment and designing efficient protective regulations. However, the three current radon maps for the United States are unable to provide the up-to-date, high-resolution, and time-varying radon concentrations.
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