Setting the Scene for a Healthier Indoor Living Environment: Citizens’ Knowledge, Awareness, and Habits Related to Residential Radon Exposure in Romania

Dacinia Petrescu,Ruxandra Petrescu-Mag

doi:10.3390/su9112081

Abstract

The present research is based on the premise that people perceive radiation risks in different ways, depending on their cultural background, information exposure, economic level, and educational status, which are specific to each country. The main objective was to assess and report, for the first time, the Romanians’ attitude (perceptions, knowledge, and behaviors) related to residential radon, in order to contribute to the creation of a healthier living environment. A convenience sample of 229 people from different parts of Romania, including radon prone areas, was used. Results profiled a population vulnerable to radon threats from the perspective of their awareness and perceptions. Thus, study results showed that most participants did not perceive the risk generated by radon exposure as significant to their health; only 13.1% of interviewed people considered the danger to their health as “high” or “very high”. Additionally, it was found that awareness of radon itself was low: 62.4% of the sample did not know what radon was. From a practical perspective, the study shows that in Romania, increasing awareness, through the provision of valid information, should be a major objective of strategies that aim to reduce radon exposure. The present study takes a bottom-up perspective by assessing Romanian citizens’ attitudes toward radon. Therefore, it compensates for a gap in the behavioral studies literature by providing practical support for radon risk mitigation and creating the premises for a healthier living environment.

Highlights

Concerning gender differences in relation to radon risk perception, to Mainous et al [39], who observed that women were more likely than men to perceive the risk from radon (3.5 times more), the present analysis revealed that Romanian women perceived a larger extension of the danger than men (p < 0.05; Table 5, Appendix B)
The research offers a complex image of the investigated people, structured on four coordinates: (i) radon awareness, (ii) risk perception, (iii) willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA), and (iv) other behaviors with a significant influence on the level of radon risk on peoples’ health conditions
These results revealed a potentially vulnerable population to radon exposure, especially in light of their lack of awareness of radon health risks

Summary

Introduction

Radon as an Environmental Risk to People. Radon awareness and perception have been the focus of human health and environmental public debate over the last thirty years. Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas, present in soils, rocks, and water, that penetrates buildings, being, inhaled by the residents. In addition to the geological substrate (geological conditions), other main radon sources include anthropogenic factors, like building construction and materials, tap water, and living habits [2,3,4]. Radon is considered as one of the top four environmental risks to public health [6] and many occupational and epidemiological studies have investigated the links between chronic exposures to radon and lung cancer [7]. The World Health Organization (WHO) showed that between 2% and 12% of all lung cancer deaths in the EU were related to radon and that, for instance, the total number of radon-related lung cancer deaths from France, Germany, and Switzerland was estimated to be about 3361 persons per year [8]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion