Radon Mapping in Croatia and Its Relation to Geology

Mostečak, Ana; Perković, Dario; Kapor, Frankica; Veinović, Želimir

doi:10.17794/rgn.2018.3.1

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Radon, the major contributor to natural background radiation exposure, and its progenies such as 218 Po, 214 Po, and 214 Bi release energetic alpha particles (high linear energy transfer) after inhalation and/or ingestion, causing lining in the stomach and lung cancer in the human body. Therefore, considering the health effect of radon, it is important to identify the areas with high radon concentration, their source, and relation with local geology to prevent the adverse effects on human being and the environment [ 55 ]. Though radon ( 222 Rn) and thoron ( 220 Rn) occurs naturally in most soils, sediments, and rocks as a radioactive decay product of 238 U of 232 Th respectively, the amount differs with localities and geological materials.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study on measuring the 222Rn in the Buriganga River and tap water of the megacity Dhaka

Alam

Siraz

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Radon (222Rn), an inert gas, is considered a silent killer due to its carcinogenic characteristics. Dhaka city is situated on the banks of the Buriganga River, which is regarded as the lifeline of Dhaka city because it serves as a significant source of the city’s water supply for domestic and industrial purposes. Thirty water samples (10 tap water from Dhaka city and 20 surface samples from the Buriganga River) were collected and analyzed using a RAD H2O accessory for 222Rn concentration. The average 222Rn concentration in tap and river water was 1.54 ± 0.38 Bq/L and 0.68 ± 0.29 Bq/L, respectively. All the values were found below the maximum contamination limit (MCL) of 11.1 Bq/L set by the USEPA, the WHO-recommended safe limit of 100 Bq/L, and the UNSCEAR suggested range of 4–40 Bq/L. The mean values of the total annual effective doses due to inhalation and ingestion were calculated to be 9.77 μSv/y and 4.29 μSv/y for tap water and river water, respectively. Although all these values were well below the permissible limit of 100 μSv/y proposed by WHO, they cannot be neglected because of the hazardous nature of 222Rn, especially considering their entry to the human body via inhalation and ingestion pathways. The obtained data may serve as a reference for future 222Rn-related works.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study on measuring the 222Rn in the Buriganga River and tap water of the megacity Dhaka

Alam

Siraz

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…(a) Indoor radon measurement locations for randomly selected buildings in Northern Croatia. (b) National map of indoor radon levels in Croatia[5,13].…”

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Short-Term Measurement of Indoor Radon Concentration in Northern Croatia

Siročić¹,

Stanko²,

Sakač³

et al. 2020

Applied Sciences

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(1) Background: Radon concentrations in the environment are generally very low. However, radon concentrations can be high indoors and can cause some serious health issues. The main source of indoor radon (homes, buildings and other residential objects) can be soil under the house, while other sources can be construction materials, groundwater and natural gas. Radon accumulates mainly in the lower levels of the buildings (especially low-ventilated underground levels and basements). (2) Methods: in this paper, we have measured the indoor radon concentrations at 15 locations in various objects (basements and ground floor/1st floor rooms) in the area of northern Croatia. (3) Results: the results show a higher concentration of radon in the basement area in comparison to values measured in the ground floor and first-floor rooms. The arithmetic mean (AM) and geometric mean (GM) of basement rooms were 70.9 ± 38.8 Bq/m3 and 61.2 ± 2.2 Bq/m3 compared to ground floor and first-floor rooms 42.5 ± 30.8 Bq/m3 and 32.8 ± 2.9 Bq/m3, respectively. (4) Conclusions: results obtained (AM and GM values) are within the maximal allowed values (300 Bq/m3) according to the Euroatom Directive. However, there are periods when maximum radon concentration exceeds 300 Bq/m3. Indoor radon concentrations vary with the occupancy of the rooms and it is evident that the ventilation has significant effect on the reduction of concentration.

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