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

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Stan Eugene Beaubien¹  Maria Chiara Tartarello¹  Carlo Lucchetti¹  Stefano Graziani¹  Sabina Bigi¹  Paola Tuccimei²  Alessandra Sciarra³  Livio Ruggiero³  Luca Pizzino³  Gianfranco Galli³  Francesca Giustini⁴  Mario Voltaggio⁴  Giancarlo Ciotoli⁴  Pietro Sirianni⁴ 

[1]Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza-Università di Roma, DST-Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy

[2]Dipartimento di Scienze, Università di Roma Tre, 00154 Rome, Italy

[3]Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, 00143 Rome, Italy

[4]National Research Council, Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering, CNR-IGAG, 00015 Rome, Italy

关键词: soil gas and indoor radon;    geogenic radon potential;    risk assessment;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph19020666

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Radon (²²²Rn) is a natural radioactive gas formed in rocks and soil by the decay of its parent nuclide (238-Uranium). The rate at which radon migrates to the surface, be it along faults or directly emanated from shallow soil, represents the Geogenic Radon Potential (GRP) of an area. Considering that the GRP is often linked to indoor radon risk levels, we have conducted multi-disciplinary research to: (i) define local GRPs and investigate their relationship with associated indoor Rn levels; (ii) evaluate inhaled radiation dosages and the associated risk to the inhabitants; and (iii) define radon priority areas (RPAs) as required by the Directive 2013/59/Euratom. In the framework of the EU-funded LIFE-Respire project, a large amount of data (radionuclide content, soil gas samples, terrestrial gamma, indoor radon) was collected from three municipalities located in different volcanic districts of the Lazio region (central Italy) that are characterised by low to high GRP. Results highlight the positive correlation between the radionuclide content of the outcropping rocks, the soil Rn concentrations and the presence of high indoor Rn values in areas with medium to high GRP. Data confirm that the Cimini–Vicani area has inhalation dosages that are higher than the reference value of 10 mSv/y.

【 授权许可】

Unknown