Risk Assessment for Workplace Exposure to Natural Radioactivity

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (13 August 2021) | Viewed by 3493

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Center for Applied Environmental Research, Babeș-Bolyai University, Fântânele 30, 400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: environmental science; environmental engineering; natural radiation; Radon; radiation protection; radiation detection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Has the worldwide rush toward technological and economic developments led to a deterioration of environmental air quality? Anthropogenic air pollution, be it indoors or outdoors, is considered to be the second biggest global environmental threat after climate change. Could the urge for energy efficiency of buildings be partly responsible for the degradation of indoor air quality in terms of ionizing radiation? We know that ppeople are continuously being exposed to natural sources of ionizing radiation. Natural radiation may have numerous sources, including naturally occurring radioactive materials found in all environments. Every day, people inhale and ingest naturally occurring radionuclides from air, food, and water, which sums up 80% of the annual dose of background radiation that a person receives. Background radiation levels can vary widely due to geological differences. Radon, a naturally occurring gas emanating from rocks and soil is classified as the main source of natural radiation. Exposure to ionizing radiation, such as radon, which can occur under different circumstances, at home, at workplaces or in public places is considered existing exposure, and a decision on prevention and control should be taken. If the radiation dose is low and/or is delivered over a long period of time (low dose rate), the risk is substantially lower because there is a greater likelihood of repairing the damage. Although exposure to low doses is associated with low risk, there is still a risk of long-term effects such as cancer; however, that may appear years or even decades later if the low dose is delivered over a long period of time.

Dr. Burghele Bety-Denissa
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • radon
  • workplace dose assessment
  • public health
  • the use of IoT in exposure control
  • energy efficiency
  • temporal variability of indoor pollution
  • regulations on workplace exposure to radon

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

10 pages, 3134 KiB  
Article
Monitoring Radon Levels in Hospital Environments. Findings of a Preliminary Study in the University Hospital of Sassari, Italy
by Giovanna Deiana, Marco Dettori, Maria Dolores Masia, Antonio Lorenzo Spano, Andrea Piana, Antonella Arghittu, Paolo Castiglia and Antonio Azara
Environments 2021, 8(4), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments8040028 - 7 Apr 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2784
Abstract
Background: The aim of this preliminary study was to measure radon concentrations in a hospital in order to verify to what extent these concentrations depend on various environmental variables taken into consideration, and consequently to determine the urgency to implement mitigation actions. Methods: [...] Read more.
Background: The aim of this preliminary study was to measure radon concentrations in a hospital in order to verify to what extent these concentrations depend on various environmental variables taken into consideration, and consequently to determine the urgency to implement mitigation actions. Methods: The rooms where the concentration of the gas was potentially highest were monitored. Investigators adopted a Continuous Radon Monitor testing device. Qualitative and normally distributed quantitative variables were summarised with absolute (relative) frequencies and means (standard deviations, SD), respectively. As regards environmental variables, the difference in radon concentrations was determined using the rank-based nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis H test and the Mann–Whitney U test. Results: All measurements, excluding the radiotherapy bunkers that showed high values due to irradiation of radiotherapy instruments, showed low radon levels, although there is currently no known safe level of radon exposure. In addition, high variability in radon concentration was found linked to various environmental and behavioural characteristics. Conclusions: The results on the variability of radon levels in hospital buildings highlighted the key role of monitoring activities on indoor air quality and, consequently, on the occupants’ health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk Assessment for Workplace Exposure to Natural Radioactivity)
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