Model for assessing radiation dose to epithelial cells of the human respiratory tract from radon progeny
A computational model was developed to evaluate radiation doses to sensitive cells from exposure to radon progeny throughout human bronchial epithelium. The model incorporated current information on nasal and oral filtration efficiencies for unattached radon progeny, characteristics of bronchial deposition by diffusive and inertial processes, mucous clearance and possible transfer of radon progeny to the airway epithelium, locations of target nuclei of secretory and basal cells in different regions of the bronchial tree epithelium, and other features. The model is useful for evaluating absorbed doses to various populations of target cell nuclei, the associated microdosimetric probability densities in specific energy, and the likelihood that target nuclei are hit one or more times by alpha-particle tracks. The model was applied to extrapolating lung cancer risks observed in underground miners to the general population exposed to low-level radon progeny in indoor home environments. The effect of increasing exposure rates by one and two orders of magnitude in both environments was modeled to determine the frequency of radiation events in target cell nuclei. The implications of dosimetric modeling for lung cancer risk analysis were also examined. 28 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/ER
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6359121
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-17939; CONF-900733--4; ON: DE91005614
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANIMAL CELLS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
BIOLOGICAL MODELS
BODY
BUILDINGS
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISEASES
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
DOSES
DOSIMETRY
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FLUIDS
GASES
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
ISOTOPES
LUNGS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MICRODOSIMETRY
MICROSEC LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MINING
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NEOPLASMS
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
ORGANS
POLLUTION
POLONIUM 214
POLONIUM 218
POLONIUM ISOTOPES
POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADON
RADON 222
RADON ISOTOPES
RARE GASES
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RESPIRATORY TRACT CELLS
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
UNDERGROUND MINING