Outdoor and Indoor Air Ions, Radon, and Ozone

Dear Colleagues,

Radon, small air ions, and ozone are all natural constituents of the atmosphere. Within the field of atmospheric and environmental physics, all of them have important roles. In outdoor environments, tropospheric ozone is generated as a consequence of the interaction between solar UV radiation and polluted air. Radon is a radioactive gas that is continually exhalating from the soil; it remains in the near-ground layer of the atmosphere, where its alpha decay acts as the main cause of production of air ion pairs. Small air ions influence the nucleation, condensation, and global electromagnetic field of the Earth. In indoor air, radon accumulates. Exposure to high concentrations of accumulated radon for longer time periods can have detrimental effects to human health, even causing lung cancer. On the other hand, acute exposure to very-high radon concentrations has been denoted as being beneficial to human health, and is even used in radon spas. Ozone can be generated as a byproduct of artificial ion generation. When inhaled for longer time periods, it is harmful to humans. However, very-high concentrations of ozone are excellent when used in the absence of living organisms, as a sterilizing gas which eliminates pathogens from the air.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Air ion generation and neutralization;
• Interaction of air ions with aerosols and bio-aerosols;
• Air ions and human health;
• Air ion pair generation—natural and artificial;
• Radon exhalation and accumulation;
• Radon-emitting materials;
• Indoor radon and thoron (measurements and assessment);
• Radon mapping;
• Ozone generation in the troposphere;
• Ozone as a sterilizing gas in indoor environments;
• Degradation of materials by ozone.

Dr. Predrag M. Kolarž
Dr. Igor T. Čeliković
Guest Editors

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