Biophysical mechanisms and radiation doses in radon therapy

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the different routes of radon and radon progeny transport from radon-rich water and air to sensitive target cells and tissues for the specific exposure conditions, as they exist in the radon spas Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein, Austria. While radon progeny adsorption was hardly affected by the degree of blood circulation and greasiness of the skin, a significant dependence on the pH-value could be observed, with a distinct maximum deposition around 6 to 7. The penetration of radon progeny into the skin was measured by removing several cell layers, revealing a roughly exponential activity distribution in the upper layers of the skin. The transport of radon through the skin into the blood was determined via radon concentration measurements in the exhaled air of the patients. Calculations of doses to different target organs suggest that radon progeny attachment on skin surfaces may play a major role in the therapeutic response for both treatment schemes, while bronchial doses lie well within the natural fluctuations of the doses received by the population, thus causing no additional radiation hazard to the patients undergoing such treatments.