Domestic and personal determinants of the contamination of individuals by household radon daughters
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. Body radon daughter counts can be related both to household radon levels, and to personal risk factors such as sex and tobacco smoking. A 35-minute, seven-position scan was carried out in a mobile body counter using a NaI crystal. Track-Etch detectors for household radon were distributed to 86% of the subjects; 80% were recovered. More than 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 daughter contamination in the 112 subjects for which both sets of measurements were available. Both sex and cigarette smoking (p < .01) significantly modified that relationship, after nonlinear adjustment for travel times. Using a logarithmic model, a given house radon level was associated in females with body contamination by radon daughters 2-3 times that in males. Nonsmokers had 2-4 times higher levels of contamination than smokers. For female nonsmokers relative to male smokers the excesses multiply. These results are for total contamination, both internal and external. Total contamination may be a better index of individual exposures in the breathing zone than a long-term room measurement. The time usage and activity patterns of the subjects must be considered in explaining these findings. 8 references, 6 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31-109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 6062822
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-860626-; TRN: 87-037597
- Journal Information:
- Trace Subst. Environ. Health; (United States), Conference: 20. annual conference on trace substances in environmental health, Columbia, MO, USA, 2 Jun 1986
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
RADON
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RISK ASSESSMENT
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAMMA SPECTROSCOPY
HOUSEHOLDS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INHALATION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PENNSYLVANIA
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
SEX DEPENDENCE
TOBACCO SMOKES
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
COLLOIDS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION III
FLUIDS
GASES
INFORMATION
INTAKE
ISOTOPES
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
POLLUTION
RARE GASES
RESIDUES
SMOKES
SOLS
SPECTROSCOPY
USA
560161* - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Man
500300 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)