Design and conduct of indoor radon surveys

https://stonesofnorthamerica.com/technical/Radon_Exhalation_from_Building_Materials_for_Decorative_Use.pdf

Radon exhalation from building materials for decorative use.

Background: Radon is the second most important cause of lung cancer, ranked by the World Health Organization as the fifth leading cause of mortality in 2010. An updated database of national radon e...

/pdf/global-estimate-of-lung-cancer-mortality-attributable-to-5cnshdm3mw.pdf

Global Estimate of Lung Cancer Mortality Attributable to Residential Radon

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to investigate the level of radiation protection of patients and staff during interventional procedures in 20 countries of Africa, Asia, and Europe.SUBJECTS AND METHODS. In a multinational prospective study, information on radiation protection tools, peak skin dose (PSD), and kerma-area product (KAP) was provided by 55 hospitals in 20 mainly developing countries (nine mostly in Eastern Europe, five in Africa, and six in Asia).RESULTS. Nearly 40% of the interventional rooms had an annual workload of more than 2,000 patients. It is remarkable that the workload of pediatric interventional procedures can reach the levels of adult procedures even in developing countries. About 30% of participating countries have shown a 100% increase in workload in 3 years. Lead aprons are used in all participating rooms. Even though KAP was available in almost half of the facilities, none had experience in its use. One hundred of 505 patients monitored for PSD (20%) were above the 2-Gy ...

Radiation Exposure to Patients During Interventional Procedures in 20 Countries: Initial IAEA Project Results

Lung cancer has high mortality and incidence rates. The leading causes of lung cancer are smoking and radon exposure. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) has categorized radon as a carcinogenic substance causing lung cancer. Radon is a natural, radioactive substance; it is an inert gas that mainly exists in soil or rock. The gas decays into radioactive particles called radon progeny that can enter the human body through breathing. Upon entering the body, these radioactive elements release α-rays that affect lung tissue, causing lung cancer upon long-term exposure thereto. Epidemiological studies first outlined a high correlation between the incidence rate of lung cancer and exposure to radon progeny among miners in Europe. Thereafter, data and research on radon exposure and lung cancer incidence in homes have continued to accumulate. Many international studies have reported increases in the risk ratio of lung cancer when indoor radon concentrations inside the home are high. Although research into indoor radon concentrations and lung cancer incidence is actively conducted throughout North America and Europe, similar research is lacking in Korea. Recently, however, studies have begun to accumulate and report important data on indoor radon concentrations across the nation. In this study, we aimed to review domestic and foreign research into indoor radon concentrations and to outline correlations between indoor radon concentrations in homes and lung cancer incidence, as reported in ecological studies thereof. Herein, we noted large differences in radon concentrations between and within individual countries. For Korea, we observed tremendous differences in indoor radon concentrations according to region and year of study, even within the same region. In correlation analysis, lung cancer incidence was not found to be higher in areas with high indoor radon concentrations in Korea. Through our review, we identified a need to implement a greater variety of statistical analyses in research on indoor radon concentrations and lung cancer incidence. Also, we suggest that cohort research or patient-control group research into radon exposure and lung cancer incidence that considers smoking and other factors is warranted.

/pdf/indoor-radon-exposure-and-lung-cancer-a-review-of-ecological-2icicyp7eh.pdf

Indoor radon exposure and lung cancer: a review of ecological studies

Naturally occurring isotopes of radon in indoor air are identified as the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoking. Radon-222 (radon gas) and radon-220 (thoron gas) are the most common isotopes of radon. While the radon equilibrium factor is well established, the equilibrium factor between thoron progeny and thoron gas is still not well known. Thoron gas and progeny concentrations were determined in the lowest floors of 138 Canadian homes simultaneously. While thoron gas was only detectable in about 52% of the homes, thoron progeny concentrations were measured in every home surveyed. Thoron concentrations, thoron progeny concentrations, and the equilibrium factors varied widely and were log-normally distributed. With a 3 months simultaneous measurement of thoron and thoron progeny concentrations, the equilibrium factor was determined to be 0.024 with a geometric standard deviation of 2.7.

Characteristics of thoron and thoron progeny in Canadian homes

Based on data from a national residential radon survey performed in 18 cities in Canada in the 1970s, an annual effective dose to the Canadian population due to indoor radon exposure was estimated at 0.71 mSv. An updated estimate of radon exposure in Canada has been made using additional indoor radon data from recent surveys in Ontario and Nova Scotia, and in 28 communities of British Columbia and 15 regions of Quebec. The associated annual effective dose to the Canadian population is now estimated to be 1.15 mSv. The percentage of homes in Canada with radon concentrations above the Canadian Radon Guideline of 200 Bq m(-3) is estimated to be about 3.3 %. As might be expected, this number varies significantly (from a low of 1 % of homes above the Guideline to a high of 19 %) from region to region. Because more radon data are included in the current assessment, and the data set covers broader geographical areas, the current assessment better represents the radon exposure in Canada.

/pdf/an-updated-assessment-of-radon-exposure-in-canada-43l025uaqe.pdf

An updated assessment of radon exposure in Canada.

With 3-month simultaneous measurements of thoron and its progeny concentrations in the lowest floors of 109 homes, the geometric mean (GM) of thoron equilibrium factor was determined to be 0.019 with a geometric standard deviation (GSD) of 3.63. Combined with the analysis from results obtained from a previous study in 138 homes, the GM of thoron equilibrium factor was determined to be 0.022 with a GSD of 3.02. The results indicate that the F value of 0.02 for thoron recommended by UNSCEAR is a reasonable value for those Canadian homes tested.

Determination of thoron equilibrium factor from simultaneous long-term thoron and its progeny measurements.

This study was carried out to assess the annual per capita effective dose from medical diagnostic procedures using computed tomography (CT) in Canada Relevant data concerning the nature and the frequency of various diagnostic CT examinations were obtained from the reports on Medical Imaging in Canada and Diagnostic Services in Ontario Doses associated with examinations of different types were based primarily on typical effective doses used in the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements Report 160 with considerations of limited dose information surveyed in Canada The results show that the per capita annual effective dose from diagnostic CT exams was 074 mSv in 2006, up from 019 mSv in 1991 This significant increase in population radiation dose from CT scans is due mainly to a more than doubling in the examination rate and to a higher radiation dose per procedure from the newer generation of multi-detector CTs

An estimation of the annual effective dose to the Canadian population from medical CT examinations.

Radon and its decay products have been identified as the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoking. Thoron is an isotope of radon. With increased awareness of radon, questions related to thoron are arising from the public. Currently, only radon detectors are commonly available to Canadian homeowners. A study on the thoron sensitivities of those radon detectors was undertaken. The average thoron sensitivity relative to radon varied from a factor of 0.012 to 0.74 for the five commonly available types of alpha track radon detectors. The potential impact of thoron sensitivity on radon test results is discussed.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0952-4746/32/4/419/pdf

A study on the thoron sensitivity of radon detectors available to Canadians

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