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This work is a follow-up study on the exposure to indoor radon levels in Portuguese thermal spas. The previous research involved 16 thermal spas, where radon measurements in air and thermal mineral water were performed twice a year, from 2012 to 2016. These studies revealed concerning radon concentrations both in air and water. Therefore, a follow-...
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... Long-term and short-term monitoring involves the continuous measurement of radon levels over periods, ranging from several months to a year [12] and a few days for shortterm monitoring [13,14], to capture average concentrations and identify fluctuations. Grab sampling, which collects air samples at specific intervals, is less commonly used in occupational settings due to its limitation in capturing variations in radon levels across the workday [15]. ...
... Alpha Track Detectors (ATDs): Long-term monitoring using ATDs over a year in residential settings has revealed an average concentration of 200 Bq/m 3 ; these findings are consistent with those reported in other high-radon areas, providing reliable data over extended periods, crucial for assessing long-term exposure risks [12]. ...
Radon is a naturally occurring noble radioactive gas that poses significant health risks, particularly lung cancer, due to its colorless, odorless, and tasteless nature, which makes detection challenging without formal testing. It is found in soil, rock, and water, and it infiltrates indoor environments, necessitating regulatory standards and guidelines from organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the World Health Organization, and the Occupational Health and Safety Agency to mitigate exposure. In this paper, we present various methods and instruments for radon assessment in occupational and environmental settings. Discussion on long-and short-term monitoring, including grab sampling, radon dosimetry, and continuous real-time monitoring, is provided. The comparative analysis of detection techniques-active versus passive-is highlighted from real-time data and long-term exposure assessment, including advances in sensor technology, data processing, and public awareness, to improve radon exposure evaluation techniques.
... Thus, 222 Rn concentrations in thermal waters must be measured and evaluated for preserving the general population from the hazards of excessive radiation exposure. 222 Rn concentrations in thermal waters have been monitored in many parts of the world for many years, and health risk associated with them have been studied (Moreno et al. 2018;Hofmann et al. 2019;Silva and Dinis 2022;Bozkurt and Erturk 2022). ...
The present paper focuses on predicting radon concentrations in thermal waters from three thermal water physicochemical properties: pH, temperature, and electrical conductivity. To achieve this, an artificial neural network model and a multiple regression analysis model were created. While developing both models, the data of 109 radon measurements in thermal waters acquired from the literature were employed. When the experimental radon concentrations were compared to those predicted by both models, the artificial neural network model predicted radon concentrations that were substantially closer to the experimental values. A variety of performance measures were also computed for evaluating both models’ prediction ability. The artificial neural network model outperformed based on the measures computed, demonstrating the applicability and accuracy of the model in radon concentration prediction in thermal waters. The study demonstrates that the developed artificial neural network model for this research may be used to predict the radon concentration in thermal waters using three thermal water physicochemical parameters.
... Radon is classified as the second main cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. It has been characterized as cancerogenic and causes between 3 to 14% of all lung cancer cases reported globally [2][3][4][5]. Literature studies and the International Organization on Radiation Protection have reported that exposure to elevated indoor radon levels in enclosed areas such as dwellings can result in a higher risk of lung cancer incidence among the populace [2,6]. As a result, international organizations have provided recommendations for the protection of people from the radiological effects associated with radon exposure in homes. ...
This study uses CR-39 radon detectors to examine radon distributions, seasonal indoor radon variations, correction factors, and the influence of building materials and characteristics on indoor radon concentration in 120 dwellings. The study also determines the spatial distribution of radon levels using the ArcGIS geostatistical method. Radon detectors were exposed in bedrooms from April to July (R S ), August to November (D S ); December to March (H S ), and January-December (Y S ) from 2021 to 2022. The result for the radon levels during the weather seasons were; 32.3 to 190.1 Bqm ⁻³ (80.9 ± 3.2 Bq/m ³ ) for (R S ), 30.8 to 151.4 Bqm ⁻³ (68.5 ± 2.7 Bqm ⁻³ ) for H S and 24.8 to 112.9 Bqm ⁻³ (61.7 ± 2.1 Bqm ⁻³ ) for D S , and 25.2 to 145.2 Bq/m ³ (69.4 ± 2.7 Bqm ⁻³ ). The arithmetic mean for April to July season was greater than August to November. The correction factors associated with this study ranged from 0.9 to 1.2. The annual effective dose (A E ) associated with radon data was varied from 0.6 to 4.04 mSv/y (1.8 ± 0.1 mSv/y). The April to July period which was characterized by rains recorded the highest correlation coefficient and indoor radon concentration. Distribution and radon mapping revealed radon that the exposure to the occupant is non-uniformly spread across the studied dwellings. 15.4% of the studied data exceeded WHO reference values of 100 Bq/m ³ . The seasonal variation, dwelling age, and building materials were observed to have a substantial impact on the levels of radon concentration within the buildings.
... The occurrence of natural radionuclides in thermal waters is well known also outside the Euganean area (for instance Dueñas et al., 1993;Parish and Lotti, 1996;Khater, 2003;Ródenas et al., 2008;Kasić et al., 2015;Karakaya et al., 2017;Van Duong et al., 2019;Chau et al., 2022;Labidi et al., 2002;Silva and Dinis, 2022;Ş ahin et al., 2017) and also the implications for radioprotection. The main concern is the exposition of workers to the inhalation of gaseous Rn, which can concentrate in closed spaces (for instance Pugliese et al., 2014;Uzun and Demiröz, 2016). ...
... Constant monitoring would be ideal, but long-term Radon risk assessment requires models. Modelling the effective dose and the resulting health risk is demanding [12,18,[21][22][23][24]. In locations with high Radon concentrations (usually with Uranium or granite-rich soil [3]), such models are expected to substantially improve risk assessment and management, aided by digital technologies [16,25,26]. ...
... Radon is soluble in cold water, so when the temperature rises, it is released from water into the air. Evidently, the concentration of Radon can highly vary throughout the day and from place to place, even room to room [19,20,23,26,[30][31][32]. Temperature exhibits a clear correlation with Radon concentration; humidity appears also to correlate, and indications exist that some air quality parameters may also correlate with Radon concentration [26,33,34], while other air parameters, such as pressure, show some association but need further investigation [26,31]. ...
... Constant monitoring would be ideal, but long-term Radon risk assessment requires models. Modelling the effective dose and the resulting health risk is demanding [12,18,[21][22][23][24]. In locations with high Radon concentrations (usually with Uranium or granite-rich soil [3]), such models are expected to substantially improve risk assessment and management, aided by digital technologies [16,25,26]. ...
... Radon is soluble in cold water, so when the temperature rises, it is released from water into the air. Evidently, the concentration of Radon can highly vary throughout the day and from place to place, even room to room [19,20,23,26,[30][31][32]. Temperature exhibits a clear correlation with Radon concentration; humidity appears also to correlate, and indications exist that some air quality parameters may also correlate with Radon concentration [26,33,34], while other air parameters, such as pressure, show some association but need further investigation [26,31]. ...
... Subsequently, more research pointed to other occupations with a high radon exposure apart from miners. These include underground occupations and other specific workplaces (i.e., parking lots, underground galleries, those associated with hot springs, and many others) [73][74][75]. The overall evidence suggests that some workplaces may have substantial potential for quite high radon exposure, particularly those located in ground floors and in radon-prone areas. ...
We aim to provide an overview of the research available on indoor radon and lung cancer, with a special focus on Spanish investigations. Early studies on underground miners established the link between radon and lung cancer, which was later confirmed for the general population by residential case-control studies. Spain contributed with extensive evidence, including 5 multicentric, hospital-based, case-control studies in the last 30 years, exploring diverse aspects, such as radon's effect on never-smokers, molecular pathways linking radon exposure to lung cancer risk, survival rates, mortality burden, and occupational exposure. There is a well-established causal association between radon with lung cancer. Despite pioneering research performed in our country by the Galician Radon Laboratory, particularly on driver genes, the evidence on the potential molecular pathways which makes radon a carcinogen is sparse. Also, relevant questions on the potential association of radon exposure with the induction of other diseases are still pending.
... When the rock is heated and crushed, the free radon gas inside the pores and between the mineral lattice will be transferred outward by diffusion and convection (Feng et al., 2020a;Luo et al., 2022;Spotar et al., 2018). In recent years, several countries have used the radon exhalation characteristics of rocks to predict rock destabilization and environmental assessment in many fields (Pepperosa et al., 2022;Silva and Dinis, 2022). ...
Radon is of great significance as a tracer for the detection of coal fires due to its distinct variations in radon exhalation properties while heating. The research on radon exhalation performance through pore structure is still in its early stages. In this paper, the pore structure and radon exhalation characteristics of heat-treated limestone are studied using indoor tests such as nuclear magnetic and radon measurements. The study's results demonstrate that the radon exhalation rate of limestone initially increases gradually, followed by a steady decline and subsequent increase with the increase in temperature. The radon exhalation rate at 800 °C reaches 2.42 times that at room temperature. The pore structure change within limestone strongly correlates with the radon exhalation rate. The pore volume of micropores (<0.1 μm) plays an essential role in the radon exhalation capacity, which is directly related to the fractal dimension of micropore structure in the heated limestone. The study's findings can be used to identify coal fires.
