SEASONALITY OF 214Bi ACTIVITY IN THE HUMAN BODY AND OF 222Rn CONCENTRATION IN HOME AMBIENT AIR

Abstract

We studied the seasonal variation of the environmental radon progeny (214)Bi activity in the whole bodies (WB) of women and men participating in community-based studies at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center (GFHNRC), the (214)Bi background activity of the GFHNRC whole body counter (WBC) steel room, and ambient air (222)Rn concentration in the homes of Grand Forks residents, over the 1988-2004 time period. In this cross-sectional epidemiological study, (214)Bi activity in women and men, in the WBC steel room, and (222)Rn concentration in resident homes fluctuated such that the highest values were observed in winter and the lowest in summer, respectively. (214)Bi activity in the WB of human subjects was higher in women who have more (214)Bi activity per unit mass than men. Apart from their common seasonal pattern, human WB (214)Bi activity (lnBq) was comparatively higher than that for the ambient air (222)Rn activity in a human-equivalent volume of 72 L.

Measurement Uncertainties in Whole Body Counting and Radon Progeny

“…Net count rate (in cps) of a 68.5 kg/177 cm phantom loaded with 4.09 kBq of 40 K and 1.06 kBq of 137 Cs under various conditions (mean value ± SD (CV), n = 14). In addition, Momcilovic and Lykken (2007) reported that the amount 214 Bi in the human body follows the daily and seasonal variations of home ambient air and is increased after a meal or vigorous exercise. They reported that a fraction of the inhaled environmental radon is not breathed out but passes from the lungs into the bloodstream and is taken up and retained by a number of tissues and organs.…”

Comparison of seasonal variability in European domestic radon measurements

“…USA seasonality data are limited, with values for G ranging from 0.065 in North Dakota (Momčilovič et al, 2007) to 0.223 in Minnesota (Steck et al, 2004) (Table 4). Outside the USA, G = 0.227 is found in the Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (Krewski et al, 2005), while the highest value so far identified worldwide, G = 0.265, is found in Amritsar, India (Singh et al, 2008).…”

Lorenz Curve and Gini Coefficient: Novel tools for analysing seasonal variation of environmental radon gas

“…As there are relatively few comprehensive SCF datasets available, nearly all derived from the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, the information collated for this study can be regarded as representative of the current state of knowledge. Geographical areas for which data were identified include the principal regions of mainland Britain (UKCC, 2002) and of France (Baysson et al, 2003), together with results from a number of other European countries (Madden et al, 1994;Hubbard et al, 1996;Karpinska et al, 2004;Tapia et al, 2006;Bossew and Lettner, 2007), from India (Singh et al, 2007) and localised data from different parts of Canada (Chen, 2003;Krewski et al, 2005b) and the USA (Steck et al, 2004;Momčilovič and Lykken, 2007). In addition, the effect of radon measurement duration has been explored in detail, as have results from soil-gas radon determinations and ventilation comparison experiments, all demonstrating the versatility of the treatment.…”

“…Currently, USA reports of seasonal variability at monthly resolution are limited, with published data giving values for G ranging from 0.065 in North Dakota (Momčilovič and Lykken, 2007) to 0.223 in Minnesota (Steck et al, 2004).…”

“…Momčilovič and Lykken (2007) have studied the variation of the radioactivity associated with the radon progeny 214 Bi trapped in cranial and abdominal fat, demonstrating regular seasonality in both males and females (with the natural logarithm of the activity fitting a quadratic function in elapsed days of the year). Specifically, 214 Bi levels, monitored using a whole-body counter, were higher in Winter than in Summer, reflecting the seasonal cycle of human body-weight changes (De Castro, 1991), and were higher in females than in males, reflecting the higher fat content of women's bodies (Lykken et al, 2000).…”