Radon Hazard in Central Italy: Comparison among Areas with Different Geogenic Radon Potential

Giustini, Francesca; Ruggiero, Livio; Sciarra, Alessandra; Beaubien, S.E.; Graziani, Stefano; Galli, Gianfranco; Pizzino, L.; Tartarello, Maria Chiara; Lai, Carlo; Sirianni, Pietro; Tuccimei, Paola; Voltaggio, Mario; Bigi, Sabina; Ciotoli, Giancarlo

doi:10.3390/ijerph19020666

Cited by 25 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Natural (or geogenic) factors are related to radon generation and transport in the ground and depend on geology and other soil properties [ 39 ]. Since geogenic radon is an important predictor of indoor radon [ 40 ], we investigate the relationship between indoor radon measured in the buildings and deposits upon which they are based. In Figure 6 c, the location of the apartments of the historic center (orange bubbles with size proportional to the average radon level) is superimposed on the geological map of Rome [ 37 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active Monitoring of Residential Radon in Rome: A Pilot Study

Soldati

Ciaccio

Piersanti

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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We present an overview of the potential of active monitoring techniques to investigate the many factors affecting the concentration of radon in houses. We conducted two experiments measuring radon concentration in 25 apartments in Rome and suburban areas for two weeks and in three apartments in the historic center for several months. The reference levels of 300 and 100 Bq/m3 are overcome in 17% and 60% of the cases, respectively, and these percentages rise to 20% and 76% for average overnight radon (more relevant for residents’ exposure). Active detectors allowed us to identify seasonal radon fluctuations, dependent on indoor-to-outdoor temperature, and how radon travels from the ground to upper floors. High levels of radon are not limited to the lowest floors when the use of heating and ventilation produces massive convection of air. Lifestyle habits also reflect in the different values of gas concentration measured on different floors of the same building or in distinct rooms of the same apartment, which cannot be ascribed to the characteristics of the premises. However, the finding that high residential radon levels tend to concentrate in the historic center proves the influence of factors such as building age, construction materials, and geogenic radon.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active Monitoring of Residential Radon in Rome: A Pilot Study

Soldati

Ciaccio

Piersanti

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…In addition, a relationship between the geogenic potential of radon and indoor concentrations has been shown [39,40]. To verify the correlation between indoor radon concentration and geogenic potential radon, the dependence on the floor should be eliminated by normalizing the data [30,41]. Finally, other studies have confirmed how the intensive use of some building materials with high concentrations of 232 Th, 226 Ra and 40 K increase the risk of radon potential [22,42].…”

Section: Statisticalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gini Method Application: Indoor Radon Survey in Kpong, Ghana

et al. 2022

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In this study, the indoor radon concentrations map, starting from a sparse measurements survey, was realized with the Gini index method. This method was applied on a real dataset coming from indoor radon measurements carried out in Kpong, Ghana. The Gini coefficient variogram is shown to be a good estimator of the inhomogeneity degree of radon concentration because it allows for better constraining of the critical distance below which the radon geological source can be considered as uniform. The indoor radon measurements were performed in 96 dwellings in Kpong, Ghana. The data showed that 84% of the residences monitored had radon levels below 100 Bqm−3, versus 16% having levels above the World Health Organization’s (WHO) suggested reference range (100 Bqm−3). The survey indicated that the average indoor radon concentration (IRC) was 55 ± 36 Bqm−3. The concentrations range from 4–176 Bqm−3. The mean value 55 Bqm−3 is 38% higher than the world’s average IRC of 40 Bqm−3 (UNSCEAR, 1993).

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“…In particular, we used the Normal Probability Plots (NPP) to determine the occurrence of different overlapping geochemical populations and define threshold values by approximating linear segments on the point distribution in the graph 49 . The identification of sharp [51][52][53] . GA was performed to understand and reconstruct the natural phenomena that govern the spatial behaviour of the studied variables.…”

Section: Soil Gas Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of tectonically enhanced radon in fault zones by quantification of the radon activity index

Benà

Ciotoli

Ruggiero

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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This work highlights the importance of the Geogenic Radon Potential (GRP) component originated by degassing processes in fault zones. This Tectonically Enhanced Radon (TER) can increase radon concentration in soil gas and the inflow of radon in the buildings (Indoor Radon Concentrations, IRC). Although tectonically related radon enhancement is known in areas characterised by active faults, few studies have investigated radon migration processes in non-active fault zones. The Pusteria Valley (Bolzano, north-eastern Italy) represents an ideal geological setting to study the role of a non-seismic fault system in enhancing the geogenic radon. Here, most of the municipalities are characterised by high IRC. We performed soil gas surveys in three of these municipalities located along a wide section of the non-seismic Pusteria fault system characterised by a dense network of faults and fractures. Results highlight the presence of high Rn concentrations (up to 800 kBq·m−3) with anisotropic spatial patterns oriented along the main strike of the fault system. We calculated a Radon Activity Index (RAI) along north–south profiles across the Pusteria fault system and found that TER is linked to high fault geochemical activities. This evidence confirms that TER constitutes a significant component of GRP also along non-seismic faults.

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Radon Hazard in Central Italy: Comparison among Areas with Different Geogenic Radon Potential

Cited by 25 publications

References 48 publications

Active Monitoring of Residential Radon in Rome: A Pilot Study

Active Monitoring of Residential Radon in Rome: A Pilot Study

Gini Method Application: Indoor Radon Survey in Kpong, Ghana

Evaluation of tectonically enhanced radon in fault zones by quantification of the radon activity index

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