Human Health Risk Assessment for Exposure to Radioactive Radon with Due Regard for Its Nanodispersed Decay Products

Abstract

A technique was designed to assess the human health risk associated with exposure to radioactive radon. As a focus, a dose–effect relationship model was developed on the basis of international and first-hand experience. The model suggests a multiplicative dependence on the probability of spontaneous lung cancer and takes account of the fact that radiation effects on the lungs are exerted by the radon decay daughter products entering the lungs in a nanodispersed form. The effects of radon are already present in the statistics of spontaneous lung cancer, and the risk of death from spontaneous and radiation-induced lung cancer depends strongly on the smoking status. A test calculation of the radon-associated risk was performed for a region of the Russian Federation and showed that radon may substantially contribute to mortality from lung cancer in areas with relatively high radon concentrations in the ambient air. Exposure to radon at an annual average radon concentration comparable with the standard level for new buildings under construction (200 Bq/m3) increases the risk of death from lung cancer by 20%. The method is suitable for assessing the health risk associated with exposure to radon for miners and the general population.