Domestic and personal determinants of the contamination of individuals by household radon daughters

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5458297

Stebbings, J H; Kardatzke, D R; Toohey, R E; Essling, M E; Pagnamenta, A

Radon daughters were counted by gamma spectroscopy from 180 adult residents of eastern Pennsylvania during the winter of 1983-84. Body radon daughter contamination is an index of relative individual respiratory exposures to radon daughters. These can be related to household radon levels, and to personal risk factors such as sex and tobacco smoking. Over 75% of this Pennsylvania population appeared to have environmentally enhanced radon daughter contamination; 59% had counting rates greater than 2 s.d. above background. House radon levels were the major determinants of radon daughters contamination in the 112 subjects for which both sets of measurements were available (p<.001). Both sex (<.02) and cigarette smoking (p<.005) were found to significantly modify that relationship, after nonlinear adjustment for travel times. Using a logarithmic model, for a given radon level body contamination by radon daughters in females was 2-3.5x higher than in males. Nonsmokers had 2-4x higher levels of contamination than smokers. For female nonsmokers relative to male smokers (which in general corresponds to the population of major concern relative to the population from which risk estimates have been derived), the excesses multiply. These results are for total contamination, both internal and external.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA). Biological and Medical Research Div.
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5458297
• Report Number(s): CONF-860626-2; ON: DE86014561
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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500300 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring &amp; Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
BODY BURDEN
BUILDINGS
CHRONIC EXPOSURE
COLLOIDS
CONTAMINATION
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
DISPERSIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
EXTERNAL IRRADIATION
FEDERAL REGION III
FLUIDS
GASES
HOUSES
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INHALATION
INTAKE
INTERNAL IRRADIATION
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPES
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
PENNSYLVANIA
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POPULATIONS
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RADON
RARE GASES
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RESIDUES
SEX DEPENDENCE
SMOKES
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WHOLE-BODY COUNTING