Estimating Past Exposure to Indoor Radon from Household Glass

Mahaffey, J.A.; Parkhurst, M. A.; James, Anthony; Cross, F.T.; Alavanja, Michael C.R.; Boice, JD; Ezrine, S.; Henderson, P.Th.; Brownson, Ross C.

doi:10.1097/00004032-199304000-00005

Cited by 52 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…The CR-39 film records tracks from 210 Po a-particles that decay from 210 Pb which is a long-lived (22 years half-life) decay product of 222 Rn imbedded in the glass. Counts of tracks from the CR-39 plastics can be used to estimate integrated radon exposure over long periods of time (Lively and Steck, 1993;Mahaffey et al, 1993).…”

Section: Validation Of Model Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of radon exposures to workers at the Fernald Feed Materials Production Center 1952–1988

Hornung

Pinney

Lodwick

et al. 2008

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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The Feed Materials Production Center (FMPC) at Fernald, Ohio produced uranium metal products for use in Department of Energy defense programs. Radium-contaminated waste material was stored on-site in two K-65 silos on the west side of the facility and provided a source of 222 Ra. The initial objective of this study was to estimate radon exposures to employees at FMPC working from 1952 to 1988. A modified Gaussian plume model was used to estimate exposures to workers. In an effort to validate these model-based estimates, we used 138 CR-39 film assays from window glass sampled in buildings throughout the site. Results from the CR-39 assays indicated a second substantial source of radon, the smaller Q-11 silos located in the production area. A response-surface regression analysis using a cubic spline model was fit to the CR-39 data to estimate 210 Po surface activity levels at geographic coordinates throughout the facility. Knowledge of the age of the glass, the amount of contaminated waste in the Q-11 silos, and 210 Po decay rates were used to estimate annual exposures to radon decay products (WLM: working level months). Estimated WLM levels associated with the Q-11 source term indicated that employees working in the vicinity during the period when they were filled with radium-contaminated waste (1952)(1953)(1954)(1955)(1956)(1957)(1958) received substantially higher radon exposures than those from the K-65 source during this period. Results of the two models, corresponding to the K-65 and Q-11 sources, were combined to estimate WLM levels by year for each of the 7143 Fernald workers during the period 1952-1988. Estimated cumulative exposures to individual workers ranged from o0.5 to 751 WLM. Estimated radon exposures from this newly discovered source have important implications for future epidemiologic studies of lung cancer in workers at the Fernald facility.

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Section: Validation Of Model Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of radon exposures to workers at the Fernald Feed Materials Production Center 1952–1988

Hornung

Pinney

Lodwick

et al. 2008

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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“…For example, Samuelsson [166] has experimentally established that the a-activity of 210 Po was related to the cumulative 222 Rn exposure, and showed that window glasses might serve as cumulative radon dosimeters. Various glass objects were found to be useful for this purpose [167]. For example, the glasses covering wedding photos may serve as good estimator because it is moved with the people.…”

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confidence: 99%

Formation and growth of tracks in nuclear track materials

Nikezić

2004

Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports

377

163

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This paper reviews some aspects of solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) and their applications in the radon and other research fields. Several geometrical models for the track growth given in the literature are described and compared. It is found that different models give close results for the dimensions of track openings.One of the main parameters that govern track formation is the bulk etch rate V b . Dependences of V b on different parameters such as the preparation procedures, etching conditions, irradiation before etching, etc. are examined. A review of existing methods for determination of the bulk etch rate and track etch rate V t is also given. Examples of V t functions for some detectors are presented. Some unsolved questions related to V t and some contradictory experimental results published in the literature are also summarized in the paper.Applications of SSNTDs for radon and progeny measurements are discussed. New designs of diffusion chambers that have appeared in the last few years are portrayed. A review of analytical and Monte Carlo methods for the calculation of the calibration factors in radon measurements is presented.Particular attention has been given to methods of long-term passive measurements of radon progeny with SSNTDs. These measurements are rather difficult and there is not yet a widely accepted solution. One possible solution based on the LR 115 SSNTD is outlined here.Methods for retrospective radon measurements are also described. Various applications of SSNTDs in other fields of physics and other sciences are briefly reviewed at the end of the paper. #

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“…A recently developed glass -based methodology may provide improved estimates for the historical average radon concentrations to which subjects have been exposed indoors (Samuelsson, 1988;Mahaffey et al, 1993 ). This methodology involves assessment of the past average concentrations through measurements of the surface activity on a glass object that has been in a subject's dwellings through the whole or the major part of the exposure period of interest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glass-based radon-exposure assessment and lung cancer risk

Lagarde

Falk²,

Almrén

et al. 2002

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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Lung cancer risk estimation in relation to residential radon exposure remains uncertain, partly as a result of imprecision in air -based retrospective radonexposure assessment in epidemiological studies. A recently developed methodology provides estimates for past radon concentrations and involves measurement of the surface activity of a glass object that has been in a subject's dwellings through the period for exposure assessment. Such glass measurements were performed for 110 lung cancer subjects, diagnosed 1985 to 1995, and for 231 control subjects, recruited in a case -control study of residential radon and lung cancer among never -smokers in Sweden. The relative risks ( with 95% confidence intervals ) of lung cancer in relation to categories of surface -based average domestic radon concentration during three decades, delimited by cutpoints at 50, 80, and 140 Bq m À 3 , were 1.60 ( 0.8 to 3.4 ), 1.96 ( 0.9 to 4.2 ), and 2.20 ( 0.9 to 5.6 ), respectively, with average radon concentrations below 50 Bq m À 3 used as reference category, and with adjustment for other risk factors. These relative risks, and the excess relative risk ( ERR ) of 75% ( À 4% to 430% ) per 100 Bq m À 3 obtained when using a continuous variable for surface -based average radon concentration estimates, were about twice the size of the corresponding relative risks obtained among these subjects when using air -based average radon concentration estimates. This suggests that surface -based estimates may provide a more relevant exposure proxy than air -based estimates for relating past radon exposure to lung cancer risk.

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Estimating Past Exposure to Indoor Radon from Household Glass

Cited by 52 publications

References 0 publications

Estimation of radon exposures to workers at the Fernald Feed Materials Production Center 1952–1988

Estimation of radon exposures to workers at the Fernald Feed Materials Production Center 1952–1988

Formation and growth of tracks in nuclear track materials

Glass-based radon-exposure assessment and lung cancer risk

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