Presence Of Radon Gas Research Articles

Measuring radon concentration and investigation of it’s effects on lung cancer

The second most significant etiological factor contributing to the development of lung cancer, following tobacco smoking, is the presence of radon gas. Hence, the assessment of indoor radon levels within residential structures assumes paramount importance within the realm of public health. The primary objective of this investigation is to quantify the concentration of radon gas within the premises of Balikesir University Health Education and Research Hospital as well as the Faculty of Medicine Education building situated in the city of Balikesir. Furthermore, this research endeavors to ascertain the potential risk of lung cancer associated with these measured radon concentrations. To this end, an extensive, long-term (2–3 months) radon monitoring campaign was executed by strategically positioning Columbia Resin-39 (CR-39) solid-state nuclear track detectors at 28 distinct locations. The overarching aim of this effort is to comprehensively assess the health hazards posed to both staff and students and subsequently institute any requisite mitigating measures. The lowest measured value of the measured radon gas concentration is 6 Bq/m3, the highest measured value is 60 ± 8 Bq/m3. The average measurement value is 21.96 ± 3.16 Bq/m3. The measurement results were determined to be lower than the allowed radon activity concentration value in the “Radiation Safety Directive.

How do CO2 and radon gases affect groundwater mining in the Canary Islands?

Water galleries are mines that seek to supply drinkable and irrigation water from the aquifer, in order to meet the demand for water in the Canary Islands. This sort of work entails a series of health risks in the form of gases. This document compiles three different studies on the gases that can be found in water galleries in the Canary Islands, having divided the document as follows: 1) the presence of carbon dioxide in 13 galleries in operation on the island of Tenerife; 2) the presence of radon gas in galleries on the islands of Tenerife, El Hierro and La Palma; and 3) the incidence of gases that are harmful to health in a thermal water gallery on La Palma. The results have shown that, in general, the water galleries contain concentrations of gases which are toxic to human health, such as radon, where average radon values measured with both passive detectors are from less than 800 Bq/m3 to around 10,200 Bq/m3. Therefore, it is important to protect the health of the workers who undertake the maintenance of these installations.

Confusion over Cold Fusion: A Possible Explanation

The famous 1989 “cold fusion” experiment of Fleischmann and Pons is revisited and the results are discussed. It is shown that these results, which were attributed to nuclear fusion near or at room temperature but were never validated in any other environment, can be explained by presence of radon gas in the laboratory where the experiments were performed.

A case study: the relationship between 222Rn in rainwater and earthquakes according to air masses

The relationship between radon gas and earthquake behavior is widely researched by investigating 222Rn (Radon-222) in air, soil, and water. This study is aimed at proving that 222Rn concentration in rain water and in the movement of rain systems will give an indication of impending earthquakes. The study was conducted in predetermined areas in the west of Anatolia. It is found that 222Rn in rain water was between 0.021 and 0.647 Bq/l for a year in Bornova. Besides, it is shown that the origin of air masses that affect the area are covered in this study and synoptic and climatologic analysis of these air masses as well as thunderstorms and strokes are presented in this study. It is found from the analysis that the information of earthquake is transported by the presence of radon gas with rain water in the predetermined area, approximately a radius of 97 km area.

Estimation of soil gas permeability for assessing radon risk using Rosetta pedotransfer function based on soil texture and water content

Radon is a natural source of radioactivity and it can be found in all soils and rocks in the Earth. The presence of radon gas in indoor environments implies a serious risk for human health, already listed as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization. The most relevant methods to infer the risk for radon exposure are based on soil radon concentration and gas permeability that describe the effective radon movement in the soil. However, they neglect crucial soil properties and water content in soil, which can affect greatly soil permeability to gases. Additionally, soil permeability measurement remains expensive, difficult and time-consuming. In this paper we show a new and simple methodology to infer radon risk based on Rosetta3 pedotransfer function as well as soil texture and water content. We also determine the influence of soil texture both on the gas permeability variation in dependence on water content and on the parameter n of the van Genuchten –Mualem model, which establishes the shape of the relative permeability curves. We show that radon risk exposure may change importantly for the same soil with different soil water contents. We finally apply and validate the proposed method using radon permeability data from the Canadian component of the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project (NASGLP). Results highlight that the proposed methodology provides reliable estimations of the gas permeability and reveal that the presence of water content may cross the boundary between two radon risk categories, and consequently, may change the radon risk category to safer situations.

Outdoor Radon Measurements during 2018 in São José dos Campos, Brazil

During 2018 the intensity and its variation in time were monitored, every hour the presence of radon gas in two distinct points near each other in São José dos Campos, Brazil. One point was situated 25 meters high (ACA tower) and the other 3 meters high (ITA laboratory). Two identical RadonEye RD200 (ionization chamber) detectors were used calibrated in picoCurie/liter (pCi/l) or Bequerel/cubic meters (Bq / m3). These measurements indicate that there is always a (day/night) variation in the intensity of the local radon gas presence. With dry and hot periods, there is increasing in radon gas intensity. Intense rains during short period of time, there is also increasing in presence of the radon gas in that site. Fine and continuous rains provoke decrease in the presence of radon gas measured in the place. Comparisons between radon gas intensities per hour with gamma and neutron changes between (0-10) MeV of energy at the same time interval were observed.

Indoor radon measurement in residential/commercial buildings in Isfahan city

Introduction: People are constantly exposed to radiation from natural and artificial sources of radiation. Radon is one of the natural radiation sources that its concentration in very high in some part of the world. The presence of radon gas in the air can increase the risk of lung cancer. In this study, the level of indoor radon in dwellings of Isfahan city was surveyed. It should be mentioned that an active alpha GUARD instrument was used to measure radon concentration. All of the measurments took place during the winter and spring of 2018. Materials and methods: In the present survey, 51 residential/commercial buildings were considered to radon gas monitoring based on the population distribution on 15 urban areas and the population of each area and technical possibilities. In each residential/commercial buildings, sampling was carried out at different floors of the building. A professional radon monitoring device (Alpha GUARD PQ2000 PRO) was used to measure indoor radon gas con-centration. Results: The Results of measuring were shown that the radon concentration in the residential/commercial buildings varied from 3 to 251 Bq / m3, with a mean value of 28.57 ± 39.38 Bq / m3. The average annual effective dose re-ceived by the residents of the studied area was estimated to be 0.49 mSv. The results showed a significant difference between the average radon concentra-tion in different floors and the different ventilation of the building, higher values in the lower floors and weaker ventilation. Conclusion: Indoor radon concentration in 4 % of the building was deter-mined to be higher than the limit (100 Bq / m3) recommended by the World Health Organization.

The Radon Gas in Underground Constructions. Railway Tunnel of Alicante (Spain)

The presence of radon gas in constructions is an indicator of air quality. The study presented analyzes the amount of radon gas in the Railway Tunnel in Alicante. This infrastructure is very important for the city due to its social importance in facilitating urban mobility. radon gas is an element considered highly harmful to people by different scientific agencies in the field of medicine and health, including the World Health Organization (WHO). The main effect of the presence of radon in the environment of the human being is the risk of contracting lung cancer. This radioactive gaseous element is present in almost all building materials, and in the land in which the buildings are implanted. In this article the measurements made in the tunnel are provided and the levels obtained are analyzed according to their danger to humans. In Spain, the Technical Building Code (CTE) still does not contemplate the dose of radon that can hold a maximum of one building and how to contain it.

Radon gas as a constructive element in the chilean pacific coast the case of a manor house in Viña del mar (valparaíso).

The presence of radon gas in buildings is an indicator of indoor air quality. The study presented analyses the amount of radon gas in the city of Viña del Mar in the Valparaiso region (Chile), in a manor house that currently serves as the Center of Advanced Studies at the Univer-sidad de Playa Ancha. Radon gas is an element considered highly harmful to people by various scientific agencies in the field of medicine and health, including the World Health Organization (WHO). The main effect of the presence of radon in the human environment is the risk of lung cancer. This radioactive gaseous element is present in almost all construction materials, and in the land where buildings are located. This article provides the measurements made by the Center of Advanced Studies of the Universidad de Playa Ancha and analyses the levels obtained according to their danger to humans. These values have been used as comparisons to analyse the differences in the presence of this gas between the Chilean Pacific coast and Europe. The values have been analysed with respect to the requirements that are currently being implemented.

The Radon Gas in Underground Buildings in Clay Soils. The Plaza Balmis Shelter as a Paradigm.

In healthy buildings, it is considered essential to quantify air quality. One of the most fashionable indicators is radon gas. To determine the presence of this element, which is harmful to health, in the environment, the composition of the soil is studied. The presence of radon gas within a building depends both on the terrain in which it is located and on the composition of the materials of which it is composed, and not as was previously believed, only by the composition of the soil (whether granitic or not). Many countries are currently studying this phenomenon, including Spain where the building regulations regarding the accumulation of radon gas, do not list in their technical codes, the maximum dose that can a building can hold so that it is not harmful to people and the measures to correct excessive accumulation. Therefore, once the possible existence of radon in any underground building has been verified, regardless of the characteristics of the soil, the importance of defining and unifying the regulations on different levels of radon in all architectural constructions is evident. Medical and health science agencies, including the World Health Organization, consider that radon gas is a very harmful element for people. This element, in its gaseous state, is radioactive and it is present in almost soils in which buildings are implanted. Granitic type soils present higher levels of radon gas. Non-granitic soils have traditionally been considered to have very low radon levels. However, this paper demonstrates the relevant presence of radon in non-granitic soils, specifically in clayey soils, by providing the results of research carried out in the underground air raid shelter at Balmis Square in Alicante (Spain). The results of the measurements of radon accumulation in the Plaza Balmis shelter are five times higher than those obtained in a similar ungrounded building. This research addresses the constructive typology of an under-ground building and the radon presence in its interior obtained using rigorous measurement techniques.

Radon measurements in the cave houses of Crevillente (Spain)

This paper focuses on the cave houses of Crevillente (Spain) as a traditional housing experience which takes advantage of local environmental conditions through simple architectural proposals, paying particular attention to the presence of radon gas inside these underground constructions. Our aim is twofold: first, to analyse the architectural conditions of the different excavated typologies found in the municipality and second, to relate them to the existing radon gas levels after checking internal concentration by means of E-PERM® long-term devices placed inside the cave houses in 2011. The measurements corresponding to the main typologies in normal use conditions show that the highest values are 881.9 Bq/m3 in the cave typology, 484.1 Bq/m3 in the cave + attached constructions typology and 373.4 Bq/m3 in the cave + house typology, with geometric mean values of 572.1, 114.0 and 75.5 Bq/m3, respectively. It can be inferred from these results that cave house levels sometimes exceed those included in the 90/143/Euratom European Commission Recommendation on the protection of the public against indoor exposure to radon. The reason why cave houses are more susceptible to radon accumulation in their spaces lies in their direct and permanent contact with the ground where they are located.

The Work of Invisibility: Radiation Hazards and Occupational Health in South African Uranium Production

AbstractThis article explores the technopolitical mechanisms by which radiation hazards in South African uranium production were rendered invisible. The occupational health effects of underground uranium mining were deeply contested for decades, all over the world. From the 1950s to the 1990s, the volatile nature of labor relations under apartheid shaped how the South African mining industry responded to the presence of radon gas. With occasional help from state scientists, the industry muffled the political menace of radon gas by making its physical presence difficult to see. Sometimes this invisibility resulted from deliberate decisions, sometimes from structural suppression, sometimes from the tangle of both. This article argues that maintaining radon's invisibility took work.

Tagging radon daughters in low-energy scintillation detectors

One problematic source of background in scintillator-based low-energy solar neutrino experiments such as Borexino is the presence of radon gas and its daughters. The mean lifetime of the α -emitter 214 Po in the radon chain is sufficiently short, 0.24 ms, that its decay, together with that immediately preceding of 214 Bi, is easily recognized as a “coincidence event.” This fact, combined with the capability of α / β pulse-shape discrimination, makes it possible to tag decays of 222 Rn and its first four daughters via a likelihood-based method.

Presence of radon in groundwater in parts of Bangalore

Presence of high levels of Radon (222Rn) gas was reported from groundwater in Bangalore. To ascertain the ground reality and the nature of the hazards, if any, a study was conducted by the Central Ground Water Board, Bangalore in and around Bangalore city. Groundwater samples from borewells and a dug well were collected and analysed. Available data on Radon gas from both groundwater and surface water sources were also compared. The presence of Radon gas and its concentration in groundwater were examined with respect to geology and well depths. The results are discussed in the paper.

AERIAL MEASUREMENT OF SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT BY TERRESTRIAL GAMMA RADIATION SURVEY

ABSTRACT Research studies measuring terrestrial gamma radiation from aircraft to determine snowpack water equivalent are reported. Both spectral and total count data were collected using 10·16 cm by 10·16 cm (4 in.) NaI (T1) scintillation crystals. Extensive ground truth data were used in conjunction with count rates obtained to develop empirical procedures relating count attenuation with snow water equivalent. Soil moisture, altitude, and air density corrections were made in the course of development of the method. Spectral relations are compared with theoretical. Significant limitations on data collection and interpretation imposed by the presence of radon gas are discussed. Because of radon gas interference in the total count, the spectral method gives the best measurement of water equivalent in the snow-flood sensitive North-Central United States.