Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center, Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, Inc., 7001 Prospect Place NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110, USA.
Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Box 357236, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Health Sciences Building, F-250D, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Apr 19;17(8):2813. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17082813.
Uranium is naturally found in the environment as a radioactive metal element with high concentrations in the Southwestern US. In this region is the Navajo Nation, which spans approximately 69,930 square kilometers. A decay product of uranium is radon gas, a lung carcinogen that has no color, odor, or taste. Radon gas may pass from soil into homes; and, indoor accumulation has been associated with geographical location, seasonality, home construction materials, and home ventilation. A home and indoor radon survey was conducted from November 2014 through May 2015, with volunteers who reported residence on the Navajo Nation. Home geolocation, structural characteristics, temperature (°C) during radon testing, and elevation (meters) were recorded. Short-term indoor radon kits were used to measure indoor radon levels. 51 homes were measured for indoor radon levels, with an arithmetic mean concentration of 60.5 Becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m) (SD = 42.7). The mean indoor radon concentrations (Bq/m) by house type were: mobile, 29.0 (SD = 22.9); wood, 58.6 (SD = 36.0); hogan, 74.0 (SD = 0.0); homes constructed of cement and wood, 82.6 (SD = 3.5); and homes constructed of concrete and cement, 105.7 (SD = 55.8). A key observation is that house construction type appears to be associated with the mean home indoor radon concentration. This observation has been published in that the basic structural make-up of the home may affect home ventilation and therefore indoor radon concentration levels.
铀是一种天然存在于环境中的放射性金属元素，在美国西南部的浓度较高。该地区是纳瓦霍族，面积约 69930 平方公里。铀的衰变产物是氡气，一种无嗅、无味、无色的肺癌致癌物。氡气可能从土壤中逸入房屋；而室内积聚与地理位置、季节性、房屋建筑材料和通风情况有关。2014 年 11 月至 2015 年 5 月，对自称居住在纳瓦霍族的志愿者进行了家庭和室内氡调查。记录了家庭地理位置、结构特征、氡测试期间的温度（摄氏度）和海拔（米）。使用短期室内氡套件来测量室内氡水平。共测量了 51 户家庭的室内氡水平，算术平均浓度为 60.5 贝克/立方米（SD=42.7）。按房屋类型划分的平均室内氡浓度（Bq/m）为：移动房，29.0（SD=22.9）；木屋，58.6（SD=36.0）；霍根房，74.0（SD=0.0）；水泥和木材建造的房屋，82.6（SD=3.5）；混凝土和水泥建造的房屋，105.7（SD=55.8）。一个重要的观察结果是，房屋建筑类型似乎与平均家庭室内氡浓度有关。这一观察结果已经发表，即房屋的基本结构可能会影响房屋通风，从而影响室内氡浓度水平。
