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

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Trace Subst. Environ. Health; (United States)

OSTI ID:6062822

Stebbings, J H; Kardatzke, D R; Toohey, R E; Essling, M A; 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. 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-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6062822
• Report Number(s): CONF-860626-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Trace Subst. Environ. Health; (United States)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring &amp; Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560161* -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
&amp; Toxicology-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
COLLOIDS
DATA
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
DISPERSIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION III
FLUIDS
GAMMA SPECTROSCOPY
GASES
HOUSEHOLDS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INFORMATION
INHALATION
INTAKE
ISOTOPES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
PENNSYLVANIA
POLLUTION
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
RADON
RARE GASES
RESIDUES
RISK ASSESSMENT
SEX DEPENDENCE
SMOKES
SOLS
SPECTROSCOPY
TOBACCO SMOKES
USA