Indoor radon measurements in residential dwellings in Qom, Iran

Abstract

Background: Inhala on of radon and its short-lived decay products is one of the most significant sources of exposure to natural radia on. Radon is the second cause of lung cancer in the popula ons. The present study was carried out under the projects of na onal radon, with the aim of determining the concentra on of indoor in the city of Qom located in the central semi-arid region of Iran. Materials and Methods: Radon measurements were carried out in 123 dwellings using passive sampling with CR-39 detectors for 90 days. The map of radon concentra on distribu on was prepared using Arc GIS so+ware and the sta s cal analysis was performed with SPSS version 20. , respec vely. Conclusion: A correla on was found between the distances from fault zones and measured indoor radon concentra on. In most of cases, radon values were lower in well-ven lated dwellings in comparison with poorly-ven lated ones. Moreover, high radon concentra on levels were observed in basements. The results indicated that in 30 places (24.3% of cases), the radon concentra ons were higher than the reference levels recommended by the World Health Organiza on (100 Bq m -3 ).

Building characteristics and sick building syndrome among primary school students

“…The research was performed with the aim of assessing the prevalence of SBS among primary school students in Qom, Iran, and the association between SBS symptoms and personal, psychosocial and environmental factors. [10][11][12][13] . The annual average temperature and precipitation are 18.1 0 C and 161 mm, respectively.…”

Investigation of Radium Contents and Radon Exhalation Rates in Soil Samples in Menge District, Ethiopia

“…These radionuclides cause radiological hazard externally due to the gamma ray emission and internally due to inhalation of radon and its progeny [8]. When human exposure to natural radiation source is considered, radon and its short lived decay products in the environment are the most important contributors [9][10][11][12][13].…”

“…Radium mainly enters the body through the food chain Radium, being chemically similar to calcium, tends to follow it in metabolic processes and becomes concentrated in bones. The alpha particles given off by radium and radon bombard the bone marrow and destroy tissues that produce red blood cells [13][14][15]. It may cause bone cancer.…”

Test Bed Installation for Performance Evaluation of Radon Mitigating Materials

“…When radon surfaces in the open air, it is quickly diluted to harmless concentrations, but when it enters an enclosed space, such as a house, it can sometimes accumulate to acceptably high concentrations. So, measurements of indoor radon are very important for escaping from In the past twenty years, assessments of radon concentration in indoor air have been extensively conducted for the dwellings, offices an around the world (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12) . For an example of studies of indoor radon concentration in Korea, it was found that the mean value of the radon concentrations for forty rooms in Kwanak Campus, Seoul National University, Korea was 111 Bq/m 3 (13) .…”