Department of Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics (DIEM), Laboratory "Ambients and Radiations (Amb.Ra.)", University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy.
Institute of Construction Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Riga Technical University, 1658 Riga, Latvia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 30;18(15):8089. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18158089.
Among the physical pollutants affecting indoor air, the radioactive gas radon may turn out to be the most hazardous. Health effects related to radon exposure have been investigated for several decades, providing major scientific evidence to conclude that chronic exposures can cause lung cancer. Additionally, an association with other diseases, such as leukemia and cancers of the extra-thoracic airways, has been advanced. The implementation of a strategy to reduce the exposure of the population and minimize the health risk, according to the European Directive 59/2013/Euratom on ionizing radiations, is a new challenge in public health management. Starting from an understanding of the general state-of-the-art, a critical analysis of existing approaches has been conducted, identifying strengths and weaknesses. Then, a strategy for assessing the radon exposure of the general population, in a new comprehensive way, is proposed. It identifies three main areas of intervention and provides a list of hazard indicators and operative solutions to control human exposure. The strategy has been conceived to provide a supporting tool to authorities in the introduction of effective measures to assess population health risks due to radon exposure.
在影响室内空气的物理污染物中，放射性气体氡可能是最危险的。几十年来，人们一直在研究与氡暴露相关的健康影响，提供了大量科学证据，得出结论认为慢性暴露会导致肺癌。此外，还提出了与其他疾病（如白血病和胸外气道癌）的关联。根据欧洲指令 59/2013/Euratom 关于电离辐射，实施一项旨在减少人口暴露和最大限度降低健康风险的战略，是公共卫生管理的一项新挑战。从了解一般的最新技术水平开始，对现有方法进行了批判性分析，确定了优势和劣势。然后，提出了一种新的综合方法来评估普通人群的氡暴露情况。它确定了三个主要的干预领域，并提供了一份危险指标清单和控制人类暴露的可行解决方案。该策略旨在为当局提供支持工具，以便采取有效措施评估因氡暴露而对人口健康造成的风险。
