Special Issue "Atmospheric Radon Measurements, Control, Mitigation and Management Vol.2"

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 September 2023 | Viewed by 2568

Special Issue Editor

“Constantin Cosma” Radon Laboratory, Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, Fantanele Street No. 30, 400294 Cluj-Napoca, România
Interests: radon; indoor air quality; monitoring, control; mitigation; innovative technologies
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Evidence shows that air pollution worldwide is responsible for a significant burden of deaths, hospital admissions and symptom exacerbation. Among the natural environmental pollutants that can accumulate in the atmosphere, indoor or outdoor, radon gas is considered the main source of ionizing radiation exposure for the general population.

Radon (222Rn) is a radioactive gas product of the decay of radium (226Ra), which belongs to the decay series of the uranium (238U) and is present in various types of soils and rocks in the Earth’s crust. Radon originating from the ground can permeate through the soil and penetrate the indoor space of buildings, where it can accumulate at a level that results in a health risk, being recognized as the second leading cause of lung cancer by the World Health Organization (WHO). Relevant scientific research in recent decades, several case studies conducted on large population cohorts, and internationally adopted legislation have well established that the continued inhalation of radon air in homes and workplaces poses a scientifically proven health hazard, which depends mainly on the levels to which it is exposed and the duration of the exposure period. The variation of radon levels in buildings depends on several factors; among the most important are the geological features of the investigated area, the environmental parameters, the building characteristics and occupational patterns. Fortunately, public exposure to radon, after an appropriate assessment, can be controlled and/or prevented by preventive measures, mitigation methods and management solutions, including the handling and treatment, mitigation, and minimization of radon levels inside the buildings.

Therefore, the scope of this Special Issue on Atmospheric Radon Measurements, Control, Mitigation and Management covers a wide range of topics dealing with indoor and outdoor atmospheric radon, including metrology, measurement techniques for control, mitigation, management, risk assessment, modelling, and the synergism between radon and indoor air pollution with the energy efficiency of buildings, public health, smoking habits, climate change, sustainability and the Green Buildings challenge, earthquake detection and prediction, and other challenges associated with the topic.

This Special Issue of the open-access journal Atmosphere addresses the issue of “Atmospheric Radon Measurements, Control, Mitigation and Management”, inspired by the global need for radon remediation actions based on reliable research experience. This Special Issue is a follow-up of the first Special Issue entitled “Atmospheric Radon Measurements, Control, Mitigation and Management” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/atmosphere/special_issues/atmospheric_radon) published in Atmosphere in 2021.

This volume aims to contribute to a better understanding of the challenges related to radon issues, to the improvement of radon-related legislation and public policies, and to help to better understand the regulatory tools and procedures leading to the reduction of occupational and public exposures to radon in the atmosphere of buildings. Moreover, the requirements of the latest EURATOM Directive 59/2013 adopted by the European Council introduce for all the European member states the necessity to design instruments and regulation methods focused on compliance with the reference level adopted by radon regulation in each country. Therefore, this Issue falls into the category of volumes dedicated to radon, whose contribution is currently paramount, providing useful tools and references for radon management, risk communication, public education and mitigation actions.

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

  • Radon problems in the broad context of indoor air quality;
  • Radon metrology, detectors and infrastructure networks for radon measurement and monitoring;
  • Radon awareness, public policy and perspectives;
  • Radon in environmental factors as a contribution to the atmospheric radon and health risk assessment for exposed populations;
  • Radon mitigation, remediation methods applied in existing buildings, and preventive solutions designed for new buildings;
  • Indoor radon pollution management linked to energy efficiency and building sustainability.

Accordingly, we warmly invite all specialists, academics, researchers, scientists and other interested parties to publish their experimental or theoretical scientific achievements in the broader spectrum of the radon field, with applications in public policy, practical recommendations, geophysics, environment, life sciences and building sustainability, in the form of original research articles or reviews.

Dr. Cucoş (Dinu) Alexandra
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • radon
  • indoor air quality
  • monitoring
  • measurement
  • radon mitigation
  • management
  • control
  • building sustainability

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
Understanding the Susceptibility of the Tropical Proglacial Environment in Peru Using Optical Imagery and Radon Measurements
Atmosphere 2023, 14(3), 568; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14030568 - 16 Mar 2023
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Abstract
The tropical glaciers of the Cordillera Blanca have played host to some of the most significant mass movements ever recorded in the world and Peru; many proglacial lakes formed in this mountain range have natural dikes made of moraine material, which, if they [...] Read more.
The tropical glaciers of the Cordillera Blanca have played host to some of the most significant mass movements ever recorded in the world and Peru; many proglacial lakes formed in this mountain range have natural dikes made of moraine material, which, if they collapse, would present a risk for the cities located downstream of a proglacial lake, where the proglacial lake Palcacocha has a remarkable background regarding floods. The Sentinel-2 MSI (Multi-Spectral Instrument, Level-2A) has a specific band for snow probability mapping that indicates glaciers and snow cover; this is effective for recognizing proglacial lakes by calculating the NDWIice. It is also helpful for lithology with SWIR for granite moraine deposits and slate moraines in the proglacial environment Palcacocha; these deposits surround the proglacial lake, with NDWIice determining the perimeter where sediment interacts with the rocks and meltwater. In addition, there are high radon concentrations made by ice avalanche impacts on the proglacial lake. Unstable glacier blocks cause ice avalanches into this proglacial lake, and the radon responds to flow variations from these high-impact avalanches. We used the device RadonEye PLus2, which allows real-time detection of radon flux changes in the proglacial environment. Our results indicated that ice avalanches making a high impact in the proglacial lake cause turbulent flow and generate radon concentration marks with a rising magnitude, while the absence of ice avalanches in the lake will cause the values to go down. The relationships of radon concentrations in the atmosphere for a tropical proglacial environment are radon and temperature (R2 = 0.364), radon and humidity (R2 = 0.469). In a passive proglacial environment with prolonged rainfall, radon concentrations tend to decrease, with an inversely proportional relationship between humidity and radon in the tropical proglacial environment. Proglacial lakes in the tropical zone often have large volumes of freshwater with high slopes from tropical glaciers, and climate change effects are an imminent danger for nearby cities. Full article
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Article
Children’s Exposure to Radon in Schools and Kindergartens in the Republic of Moldova
Atmosphere 2023, 14(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14010011 - 21 Dec 2022
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Abstract
This work presents the results from measurements of radon concentrations in primary and high school education institutions—including their gymnasiums—from the Chisinau municipality and various rayons from the central and southern part of the Republic of Moldova. In the research carried out during the [...] Read more.
This work presents the results from measurements of radon concentrations in primary and high school education institutions—including their gymnasiums—from the Chisinau municipality and various rayons from the central and southern part of the Republic of Moldova. In the research carried out during the years of 2013–2014 and 2021, there were 78 (29 + 49) premises included, respectively, and 149 and 23,805 investigations were performed using RTM-1642 (active measurements) and RadonEye+2 devices (passive measurements). The results show an essential variability for the studied radio-stressogenic factor, depending on the geological conditions of the location of the premises and the age of the building. Thus, during 2013–2014, the minimum concentration of radon detected was 26 Bq m−3, and the maximum detected was 607 Bq m−3. In 2021, the results denote an indicator variability in the range of 17.4–657.9 Bq m−3 for early education institutions, with an average value of 127.6 Bq m−3, and denote a range of 231.8–1129.3 Bq m−3, with an average value of 665.4 Bq m−3), for high school education institutions and their gymnasiums. The effective annual dose for the children in a classroom varies between an interval of 0.21–4.88 mSv y−1 (average 1.19 mSv y−1) and 0.14–9.08 mSv y−1 (average 1.29 mSv y−1) for the 2013–2014 and 2021 surveys, respectively. Full article
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Article
High Indoor Radon Case Study: Influence of Meteorological Parameters and Indication of Radon Prone Area
Atmosphere 2022, 13(12), 2120; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122120 - 16 Dec 2022
Viewed by 759
Abstract
Indoor radon and meteorological parameters (temperature, humidity, pressure, precipitation, indoor dew point, wind direction, wind speed and heat index) were simultaneously monitored in an old residential house in a radon suspected area. Measurements were performed during the period from winter to summer (13 [...] Read more.
Indoor radon and meteorological parameters (temperature, humidity, pressure, precipitation, indoor dew point, wind direction, wind speed and heat index) were simultaneously monitored in an old residential house in a radon suspected area. Measurements were performed during the period from winter to summer (13 February 2021–15 August 2021). Indoor radon concentrations were measured with detectors, Airthings Corentium Home (alpha spectrometry method), and meteorological parameters were continuously monitored by the meteorological station WTH600–E (wireless weather station). The influence of geological characteristics in the study area was analyzed, as well as some observed variations and correlations with indoor/outdoor meteorological parameters. The results indicated that indoor radon levels are higher in the spring/summer season than in the winter season. Diurnal radon concentrations varied during measuring period from 303–1708 Bq/m3 (average 949 Bq/m3) and 427–1852 Bq/m3 (average 1116 Bq/m3) for the living room and bedroom, respectively. Indoor radon concentrations correlated with: outdoor/indoor temperature, indoor humidity (r = 0.45, r = 0.40, r = 0.32, r = 0.56, respectively); indoor dew point (r = 0.53); outdoor barometric pressure (r = −0.26); there were no clear correlation with precipitation and outdoor humidity. The health risk due to long-term, high radon exposure was assessed through the calculated inhalation dose. Full article
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