COVID-19 and the Additional Radiological Risk during the Lockdown Period in the Province of Naples City (South Italy)

The lockdown restrictions, as a first solution to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, have affected everyone's life and habits, including the time spent at home. The latter factor has drawn attention to indoor air quality and the impact on human health, particularly for chemical pollut...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Life (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2022-02, Vol.12 (2), p.246
Main Authors: La Verde, Giuseppe, Artiola, Valeria, La Commara, Marco, D'Avino, Vittoria, Angrisani, Leopoldo, Sabatino, Giuseppe, Pugliese, Mariagabriella
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air quality
Chemical pollutants
Chemical pollution
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Disease transmission
Exposure
Health risk assessment
Health risks
Indoor air pollution
Indoor air quality
Indoor environments
lockdown
Lung cancer
Pandemics
Pollutants
Population
Radiation
Radiation dosage
Radiation protection
radiological risk
Radon
Risk analysis
Risk factors
VOCs
Volatile organic compounds
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Summary:The lockdown restrictions, as a first solution to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, have affected everyone's life and habits, including the time spent at home. The latter factor has drawn attention to indoor air quality and the impact on human health, particularly for chemical pollutants. This study investigated how the increasing time indoor influenced exposure to natural radioactive substances, such as radon gas. To calculate the radiological risk, we considered the most consolidated indices used for radiation protection: annual effective dose, excess lifetime cancer risk, and the lung cancer case. Furthermore, two different exposure times were considered: pre-lockdown and post-lockdown. The lockdown increased the indoor exposure time by 4% and, consequently, the radiological risk factors by 9%. Furthermore, the reference value of 300 Bq/m , considered acceptable for human radiation protection, may need to be lowered further in the case of conditions similar to those of the lockdown period.
ISSN:2075-1729
2075-1729
DOI:10.3390/life12020246