Excessive radon-based radiation in indoor air caused by soil building materials in traditional homes on Đồng Văn karst plateau, northern Vietnam

Nguyễn-Văn, Hướng; Nguyễn-Thùy, Dương; Nguyen, Nuong Thi Kieu; Streil, Thomas; Schimmelmann, Jan P.; Doiron, Kelsey; Nguyễn-Đình, Thái; Nguyễn-Thị, Hồng; Schimmelmann, Arndt

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127119

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The concentration of thoron in indoor air declines with increasing distance from mud walls and floors toward the center of the room. High concentrations of α-emitting thoron and progenies in indoor air of mud houses in the center of rooms (>100 Bq m −3 ) and especially near bare mud walls (>350 Bq m −3 ) are responsible for > 80 % of the average effective dosage affecting inhabitants (Nguyễn-Thùy et al, 2019;Nguyễn-Vȃn et al, 2020). Severely elevated concentrations of thoron up to 1500 Bq m −3 close to bare mud walls of traditional dwellings were also found in China (Shang et al, 2008) and in an experimental room constructed with unfired mud bricks in a laboratory at the Helmholtz Zentrum in Munich, Germany (Meisenberg and Tschiersch, 2011), although in both cases 232 Th in the mud building material only produced γ-radiation with an average activity concentration of 40-50 Bq kg −1 .…”

Section: Sources Of Radioactivity In Terra Rossamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A typical family of six to eight people, encompassing three generations, lives in a mud house with bare earthen walls and floor. Surveys of indoor air proved that the radiation geohazard of 220 Rn substantially exceeds the average environmental background thoron concentration in outdoor air, especially at close distances to earthen walls and floor (Nguyễn-Thùy et al, 2019), while thoron and its progeny account for > 80 % of the combined average effective dose and represent the predominant radioactive inhalation hazard for residents of mud houses (Nguyễn-Vȃn et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Radioactive Thoron 220Rn Exhalation From Unfired Mud Building Material Into Room Air of Earthen Dwellings

et al. 2021

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Thoron (220Rn), an isotope of radon with a strong α-decay energy, and its short-lived metallic progeny can pose an elevated lung cancer hazard in room air when unfired-soil derived building materials are used in earthen dwellings. Changes in moisture content and density influencing the thoron exhalation rate from earthen materials into room air were studied in the laboratory with terra rossa from a village on the Ðồng Văn Karst Plateau Geopark, Việt Nam, where ethnic minorities construct traditional dwellings with unfired terra rossa walls and floors. Our results show that the thoron exhalation rate from mud surfaces depends on (i) the content of radioactive parental nuclides in mineral components; (ii) the moisture content of mud where ∼5–10 weight % water maximizes the 220Rn exhalation rate; and (iii) the density of dry mud as primarily controlled by internal macroscopic voids, fractures, and porosity. Additional time-series of 220Rn exhalation data from an interior mud wall of a terra rossa-built house under different seasonal and weather conditions show that the temperature is influencing thoron exhalation via the water vapor pressure deficit (VPD) in air and the associated amount of atmospheric moisture adsorbed onto indoor mud surfaces. Our data suggest that occupants of “mud house” earthen dwellings in northern Việt Nam are exposed to an increased thoron geohazard during cooler weather, low VPD, and high relative humidity in air. Detailed studies are needed to evaluate the thoron geohazard for inhabitants of mud-built dwellings in other climates and geological terrains.

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Section: Sources Of Radioactivity In Terra Rossamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radioactive Thoron 220Rn Exhalation From Unfired Mud Building Material Into Room Air of Earthen Dwellings

et al. 2021

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“…In confined environments, such as mines, caves, tunnels or catacombs, radon gas can accumulate, reaching harmful concentrations due to poor ventilation conditions (Cigna, 2005 ; Nguyễn‐Văn et al., 2020 ; Quindos et al., 1991 ; Stannard & Baalman, 1988 ; Ullah et al., 2022 ). For this reason, the level of exposure to tourists, cavers, scientists, and tour guides needs to be determined (Alvarez‐Gallego et al., 2015 ; Field, 2007 ; Somlai et al., 2009 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radon Dynamics and Effective Dose Estimation in a Touristic Volcanic Cave: La Cueva del Viento, Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)

et al. 2023

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La Cueva del Viento is a volcanic lava tube located in Tenerife Island (Canary Islands, Spain). Its touristic section, 180 m long, receives more than 28,200 visitants each year. According to the European and Spanish legislation, a radon monitoring program is required to minimize the radon exposition of workers, tourists, and cavers. In this work, we studied the radon concentration dynamics in the touristic section of the cave for ca. 1 year, using both passive and active radon detectors. Pluviometry and external air temperature played an important role in the seasonal and daily variations of indoor radon concentrations. Daily fluctuations during the dry season were analyzed using time series (Box‐Jenkins methodology) and frequency analysis (Fourier and Wavelet transforms) methods. The experimental radon time‐series was well‐fitted using a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model: Seasonal Auto‐Regressive Integrated Moving Average (2,0,1) (2,1,0) 24 , and its value, in a short‐time window (ca. 1 week) was conveniently forecasted. Finally, this work revealed that the annual effective doses received, during the observation period (1 year), by the touristic guides and visitors was ca. 2 mSv/yr and 4 μSv/hr, respectively. We concluded that the touristic exploitation of La Cueva del Viento is safe for both tourists and guides. However, based on our results, La Cueva del Viento had to be classified as a “Monitoring zone” and a regular monitoring program should be implemented.

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Radon dynamics and effective dose estimation in a volcanic cave: La Cueva del Viento, Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)

Salazar

López‐Pérez

Martín-González

et al. 2022

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Excessive radon-based radiation in indoor air caused by soil building materials in traditional homes on Đồng Văn karst plateau, northern Vietnam

Cited by 5 publications

References 22 publications

Radioactive Thoron 220Rn Exhalation From Unfired Mud Building Material Into Room Air of Earthen Dwellings

Radioactive Thoron 220Rn Exhalation From Unfired Mud Building Material Into Room Air of Earthen Dwellings

Radon Dynamics and Effective Dose Estimation in a Touristic Volcanic Cave: La Cueva del Viento, Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)

Radon dynamics and effective dose estimation in a volcanic cave: La Cueva del Viento, Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)

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