Radon is noble, monatomic, radioactive, heavier than the air gas. It is colorless, odorless, tasteless. It exists in natural environment as a result of the decay of radium, and emits mainly alpha radiation and less beta radiation. Residential radon concentrations vary widely by geographic area. The higher concentration of radon is expected globally in the grounds where uranium, radium and thoron are present. Radon may gather in caves, tunnels, mines as well as in other lowestlying spaces, such as basements, and cellars. In accordance with Atomic Law (2000), the reference level for the average annual concentration of radioactive radon in rooms intended for human habitation is 300 Bq/m3. The most dangerous damages caused by ionizing radiation i.e. radon and its derivatives are changes to DNA, which may disturb the functions of cells and in the consequence lead to induction of cancer of respiratory tract, mainly of lungs and also leukaemia. So, the main consequence of exposure to high amount of radon are cancers of respiratory system. Radon enters the human organism mainly through inhaled atmospheric air. Moreover, radon significantly increased a risk of induction cancer in smokers and vice versa, smoking promotes the development of lung cancer after the exposure to radon and its derivatives. Radon may also have beneficial effect on the human body. Therefore it is used in medicine; mainly in radonbalneotherapy i.e. bath treatments, rinsing the mouth and inhalation. Beneficial effects of radon confirms the validity of the theory of radiation hormesis, which assumes that low doses of radiation may stimulate the repair of DNA damage by activation of protective mechanisms, which neutralize free radicals.
Radon Rn-222 is a commonly occurring natural radionuclide found in the environment from uranium-radium radioactive series, which is the decay product of radium Ra-226. The presence of radon carries negative health effects. It is, in fact, classified as a carcinogen, and therefore, it is necessary to continuously monitor its concentration. The aim of this study was to determine the level of radon-222 concentration in water intended for human consumption in the two voivodeships of Poland: West Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian. Measurements were performed for more than 60 intakes. The level of radon was measured by using the liquid scintillation counting method. The range of measured radon concentration in the water from the West Pomeranian Voivodeship was from 0.90 to 11.41 Bq/dm3 with an average of 5.01 Bq/dm3, while that from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship was from 1.22 to 24.20 Bq/dm3 with an average of 4.67 Bq/dm3. Only in three water intakes, the concentration of radon-222 exceeded the value of 10 Bq/dm3. The obtained results allowed to conclude that population exposure associated with radon-222 in water is negligible and there is no need to take further action. In the case of three intakes where a higher concentration of radon was found, the potential exposure was low.
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