Radiometric evaluation of indoor radon levels with influence of building characteristics in residential homes from southwestern Nigeria

Indoor radon ( 222 Rn) measurements were carried out using solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) in some dwellings from southwestern Nigeria. This was aimed at statistically assessing influence of building characteristics on the measured radon and estimating excess lifetime cancer risks (ELCR)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental monitoring and assessment 2020-12, Vol.192 (12), p.764, Article 764
Main Authors: Aladeniyi, Kehinde, Arogunjo, Adeseye Muyiwa, Pereira, Alcides J. S. C., Ajayi, Oladele Samuel, Fuwape, Ibiyinka Agboola
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollutants, Radioactive - analysis
Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Cancer
Detectors
Dwellings
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Ecotoxicology
Environment
Environmental Management
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental science
Health risks
Housing
Humans
Indoor environments
Lung cancer
Lung diseases
Monitoring/Environmental Analysis
Nigeria
Radiation Monitoring
Radiation protection
Radon
Radon - analysis
Radon content
Radon in indoor air
Radon isotopes
Radon levels
Service life assessment
Ventilation
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Summary:Indoor radon ( 222 Rn) measurements were carried out using solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) in some dwellings from southwestern Nigeria. This was aimed at statistically assessing influence of building characteristics on the measured radon and estimating excess lifetime cancer risks (ELCR). The measured radon concentrations followed lognormal distribution and were significantly influenced by some building properties. The arithmetic mean (1.60 mSv) of annual effective doses (AEDs) due to indoor radon was observed to be higher than the world average level (1.15 mSv) but less than lower limit (3 mSv) of International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The evaluated excess lifetime cancer risk ranged from 1.5 to 28.1 (MPy) −1 with an average value of 6.3 (MPy) −1 , indicating that after exposure to indoor radon for 70 years, 6 people in every 1000 are likely to suffer the risk of developing lung cancer. Adequate ventilation systems were recommended for houses with high level of radon to avoid unnecessary exposure to radon. However, the investigated data would form important component of the database required to set up guidelines and policy of controlling radon at home.
ISSN:0167-6369
1573-2959
DOI:10.1007/s10661-020-08734-z