Radon Gas-Hazardous Element for Human Life Really Found in the Environment

Rizo-Maestre, Carlos; Yepes, Servando Chinchón

doi:10.2991/gmee-15.2015.17

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…These alterations may include chemical changes in DNA, the basic organic molecule that is part of the cells that make up our body [21]. These changes may lead to biological effects, including abnormal cell development [22]. These alterations can be more or less severe depending on the dose of radiation received [23].…”

Section: Radon Gas In Alicantementioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Checking Indoor Air Quality in Underground Historic Buildings Intended for Tourist Use

Rizo-Maestre

Iribarren

2019

Sustainability

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This article demonstrates the importance of quantifying the air quality with radon gas level as indicator in any heritage building, especially those intended for the use of people. The tourist activity or historical guide represents a typology where people spend a certain time, that is to say, in no case do they spend the same amount of hours as in their homes or jobs. Different gases that may be present in the environment must be controlled. The Séneca Square shelter, in Alicante, is a very important place for the history of the city during the Spanish Civil War that has recently been rehabilitated for exposure to people. The source of most radon gas inside a building is the ground. Many countries, including Spain, in which the building regulations, regarding the accumulation of radon gas, do not specify in their technical codes, the maximum dose that a building can sustain so that it is not harmful to people, or, the measures required to correct excessive accumulation. The possible existence of radon is verified in any underground building, regardless of the characteristics of the soil (whether granitic or not), the importance of defining and unifying the regulations that specify the different levels of radon in any architectural constructions is evident. Most of the scientific agencies in the field of medicine and health, consider that radon gas is a very harmful element for people. This element in its gaseous state is radioactive and it is present in almost all soils in which buildings are implanted, with granitic types of soil presenting higher levels of radon gas. Non-granitic soils have traditionally been considered to have very low radon levels. However, this work, providing the results of the research carried out in the underground air raid shelter in Seneca Square in Alicante (Spain), demonstrates the relevant presence of radon in non-granitic soils. This research addresses the constructive typology of the underground building and the radon presence in its interior obtained using rigorous measurement techniques.

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Section: Radon Gas In Alicantementioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Checking Indoor Air Quality in Underground Historic Buildings Intended for Tourist Use

Rizo-Maestre

Iribarren

2019

Sustainability

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“…These alterations may include chemical changes in DNA, the basic organic molecule that forms part of the cells that make up our body [26]. These changes may lead to the appearance of biological effects, including abnormal cell development [27]. These alterations may be more or less severe, depending on the dose of radiation received [28].…”

Section: Radon Gas As An Indicator Of Ventilationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ventilation as an Indispensable Tool for Healthy Constructions: Comparison of Alicante’s Urban Railway Tunnels

2019

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The majority of scientific agencies in the field of medicine and health, including the World Health Organization, consider radon gas a very harmful element for humans. This element, in its gaseous state, is radioactive and is present in almost all land in which buildings are implanted, especially in granitic soils, which present higher levels of radon gas. Nongranitic soils have traditionally been considered to have low radon levels. In addition to the contributions made by this article, it is very relevant that there are many countries, including Spain, in which the technical codes for their construction regulations do not include the maximum radon dose that a building can hold so that it is not harmful to humans nor do they hold the measures necessary to remedy excessive accumulation. The main objective of this research is to demonstrate the need for ventilation in buried works. To do this, a comparison is made between two railway tunnels in the urban fabric of the city of Alicante: one of them is in operation (Benacantil Mount) and the other is in the excavation phase (Serra Grossa). When underground railway installations are planned, they are equipped with large air ventilation systems due to the pollutants generated by ground exposure. These mechanical systems consist of suction turbines that expel the air to the outside. Research shows that radon gas is an indicator of an area’s air quality. In addition, ventilation in railway tunnels (mechanical and natural) allows for air renewal and improves the air quality.

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“…These alterations may be more or less severe depending on the dose of radiation received [14]. The main effect of the presence of radon in the human environment is the risk of lung cancer [15]. This radioactive gaseous element is present in almost all construction materials and in the ground on which buildings are constructed [16].…”

Section: Radon Gas and Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radon Gas as an Indicator for Air Quality Control in Buried Industrial Architecture: Rehabilitation of the Old Británica Warehouses in Alicante for a Tourist Site

et al. 2019

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The infrastructure of the Británica warehouses in Alicante is a very important industrial architectural element in the history of Spain, although it is unknown to almost all of the inhabitants of the city. The former fuel refinery is located in the Serra Grossa Mountains and served much of the country until 1966. This research is based on the plans of the city of Alicante to convert a historical element, the Británica warehouses, into a unique tourist site. Currently, the network of storage domes in this facility, which has an approximate footprint of 20,000 m 2 and domes approximately 20 m high, is in a state of neglect, and there are neighborhood initiatives for its rehabilitation to become a cultural or tourist site. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the quality of the indoor air. Radon gas is analyzed as a control element for future refurbishment of the facility. Alicante is a nongranite area and therefore is not very susceptible to generation of radon gas indoors, but the conditions of a buried and poorly ventilated space make the site appropriate for analysis. Most scientific agencies in the field of medicine and health, including the World Health Organization, consider radon gas to be very harmful to humans. This element in its gaseous state is radioactive and is present in almost all the land in which the buildings are implanted, with granitic type soils presenting higher levels of radon gas. Nongranitic soils have traditionally been considered to have low radon levels. The city of Alicante, where the installation is located, is a nongranitic area and therefore is not very susceptible to generating radon gas in buildings, but the conditions of buried and poorly ventilated places make the site appropriate for analysis to support air quality control and decision-making.

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Radon Gas-Hazardous Element for Human Life Really Found in the Environment

Cited by 4 publications

References 4 publications

The Importance of Checking Indoor Air Quality in Underground Historic Buildings Intended for Tourist Use

The Importance of Checking Indoor Air Quality in Underground Historic Buildings Intended for Tourist Use

Ventilation as an Indispensable Tool for Healthy Constructions: Comparison of Alicante’s Urban Railway Tunnels

Radon Gas as an Indicator for Air Quality Control in Buried Industrial Architecture: Rehabilitation of the Old Británica Warehouses in Alicante for a Tourist Site

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