INDOOR RADON DATA AND LUNG CANCER MORTALITY IN RADON PRONE – AREA ŞTEI - BǍIŢA (ROMANIA)

INDOOR RADON DATA AND LUNG CANCER MORTALITY IN RADON PRONE – AREA

ŞTEI - BǍIŢA (ROMANIA)

Alexandra Dinu1, Carlos Sainz2, Constantin Cosma1

1 Babes-Bolyai University, Faculty of Environmental Science,

Cluj-Napoca, Romania2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Cantabria,

Santander, Spain

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 6th Dresden Symposium HAZARDS – DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT, September 20 – 24, 2010 Dresden Germany

Noble gasNoble gas

Emisor alfa (5.49 MeV)Emisor alfa (5.49 MeV)

TT1/21/2 = 3.82 d = 3.82 d

222222RRnn MAIN SOURCE MAIN SOURCE

OF RADIATIONOF RADIATION SoilSoilBuilding Building MaterialsMaterials WaterWater

WHAT is Radon?

Doza totala efectiva anuala pentru populatia Romaniei: 3.57 mSv

RADON si THORON 1.77 mSv

surse artificiale 0.71 mSv

alte surse radioactive interne, 0.27 mSv

radiatie cosmica 0.33 mSv

iradiere terestra externa, 0.49 mSv

radiatie cosmica

iradiere terestraexterna

RADON si THORON

alte surse radioactiveinterne

surse artificiale

Radon Sources and Radon Sources and TransportTransport

Doza datorata Rn in lume: 1.2 mSv

Average Annual Dose to ROMANIA Population (Cosma C., Dinu A., 2006)


INTERNATIONAL RADON PROJECT INTERNATIONAL RADON PROJECT (WHO, 2005 - 2009)(WHO, 2005 - 2009)

Relative risk of lung cancer versus radon exposure (Darby, 2006)

S. Darby et al., British Medical Journal, 330, 2006 Ansambling 13 European epidemiological studies (7.150 cazuri + 14.400 controale)

Increase in risk of lung cancer: 16% per 100 Bq/m3 95% CI (5, 31)

■ WE CAN QUANTIFY THE RISKWE CAN QUANTIFY THE RISK : ~2% of total cancers [0.6 –1% of total annual deaths] and

~9% of global deaths from lung cancer

■ linear increase (without threshold) and synergism “smoking + radon”


The radon evidence …

Radiation

Action Level [Bq/m3]

Effective dose Level

[mSv/an]

Dose conversion factor

[mSv/mJhm-3]

Workplaces Housing Workplaces Housing Workplaces Housing

ICRP 1000 200 20 5 1.4 1.1 IAEA 1000 - 20 - 1.4 1.1 UE - 200 20 10 1.4 1.1

WHO 2009 1000 100 20 10 România 1000 - - - - -

■ The time spent by residents in homes

■ Normal Values: Normal Values:

20 – 100 20 – 100 Bq/mBq/m33 WHO 2009 WHO 2009

International regulations versus RomaniaInternational regulations versus Romania Source: IARC

INDOOR RADON EXPOSURE

Main factors:


Nuclear track detectors CR 39

RadoSys2000 System (Elektronika,

Hungary)

Radim 3A (Czech Republic)

Sarad DOSEman-PRO Dosimeter (Sarad, Germany)

ECRS Radon Software (European

Comission Radon Software) – radon risk

Databases: EUROCIM (European

Network of Cancer Registry, IARC)-

morbidity indicators

Standardized questionnaires- studies

about population

Risk Assessment Methodology

OUR LABORATORY OF

ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY


RADOSYS SYSTEM for integrated radon measurements


DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL INTERCOMPARISONS EXERCISES

■ in 2007 - 2010 at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan (NIRS) - Chiba

■ in 2008 - 2010 with Radon Laboratory of Cantabria University, Spain and Veszprem Laboratory, Hungary

■ in 2010 at RIM - Radon Intercomparison Measurement at Radon Reference Sites, Cetyne, Bohostice and Buk, Prague, Czech Republic

Very good result with differences under 10% - confirms the reliability of measurements made in our laboratory


Aritm. mean Geom. mean Geom. st. deviationAustralia 11 8 2.1Austria 99 15 NABelgium 48 38 2Canada 28 11 3.9Czech Republic 140 44 2.1 Denmark 59 39 2.2Finland 120 8 2.1France 89 53 2.0Germany 49 37 2.0Greece 55 44 2.4Hungary 82 62 2.1Iceland 10 NA NAIreland 89 57 2.4Italy 70 52 2.1Japan 16 13 1.8Luxembourg 110 70 2Mexico 140 90 NANetherlands 23 18 1.6New Zealand 22 20 NANorway 89 40 NAPoland 49 31 2.3Portugal 62 45 2.2Republic of Korea 53 43 1.8Slovakia 87 NA NA Spain 90 46 2.9Sweden 108 56 NASwitzerland 78 51 1.8United Kingdom 20 14 3.2USA 46 25 3.1

Worldwide average 39Sources: WHO (2007), UNSCEAR (2000), Billon et al. (2005) and Menzler et al. (2008).

Current status of Indoor radon concentrations in OECD countries [Bq/m3]

Transylvania value calculated: 78 Bq/m3 (preliminary)

DISTRICTNUMBER OF SURVEYED DWELLINGS

ARITHMETIC MEAN

[Bq/m3]

RANGE

[Bq/m3]

SEASON OF MEASUREMENT

Cluj 750 126 20-690 Winter-Summer

Bihor (Stei)* 209 129 25-1005 Winter-Summer

Bihor (Bǎiţa) 580 247 15-3998 All seasons

Bistrita 120 69 18-293 Spring-Summer

Sibiu 45 86 15-234 Winter-Spring

Alba 9 87 27-303 Winter-Spring

Total 1713 124 15-3998 All seasons

*excluding the highest values

■ TOTAL 2003-2010: 1713 RADON MEASUREMENTS BY TRACK DETECTORS CR-39

■ 2009-2010: 389 RADON MEASUREMENTS WITH TRACK DETECTORS CR-39 ARE IN PROGRESS IN COUNTIES CLUJ, BISTRITA, ALBA, MURES

In BIHOR district was identified a zone with the highest concentrations of radon

Current measurements 2010

RADON MEASUREMENTS MAIN RESULTS FROM OUR SURVEY (2003-2010)

ROMANIA - TRANSYLVANIA


Ştei-Băiţa Uranium mine Area and surounding: some houses built by uranium waste from mines Baita Plai and Avram Iancu

THIS ZONE WAS CATEGORIZED AS “RADON-PRONE AREA”, ACCORDING TO THE INTERNATIONAL CRITERIA FOR RADON EXPOSURE - ICRP 65

25% of annually lung cancer deaths can be attributed to indoor radon exposure


(C. Sainz and A. Dinu, 2009)

Integrated radon measurements: 2003 – 2009

64% of the measured values are significantly higher than the recommended level of 100 Bq/m3


Nr of the investigated houses 580

A.M. [Bq/m3] 247

Median [Bq/m3] 116

G.M. [Bq/m3] 121

G.S.D. [Bq/m3] 2.26

Range (Min-Max) [Bq/m3] 10 - 3998

% of the houses by radon concentrations between intervals [Bq/m3]

0 - 99 36 %

100 - 199 34 %

200 - 399 17 %

400 - 599 4 %

600 - 799 3 %

800 - 1000 2 %

1000 - 3988 4 %

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

50 100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

1600

1700

1800

1900

2000

>220

0

Concentratia de radon (Bq/m3)

Nu

mar

ul c

asel

or

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

Fre

cven

ta c

um

ula

ta

numarul caselor

frecventa cumulata


LOG NONORMAL DISTRIBUITION of indoor Radon concentrations in Ştei-Băiţa

Arithmetic mean = 247 Bq/m3

580 detached houses

(C. Sainz and A. Dinu, 2009)

Numerous studies worldwide have shown that radon, a natural radioactive gas that seeps into homes in some regions, is the second leading factor (after smoking) in causing people to develop lung cancer. This has now also been confirmed by a study carried out in Torrelodones, Madrid, and Stei, in Romania, by researchers from the University of Cantabria and the Romanian Babes-Bolyai University, and which has been published recently in the journal

Science of the Total Environment.

Study in Spain and Romania confirms radon as second leading cause of lung cancer

El Pais, Medical News, Science News, Realitatea Net, Stiinta Azi, Adevarul, Ziua de Cluj

Published: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - 09:10 in Health & Medicine


Our article Comparative risk assessment of residential radon exposures in two radon-prone areas, Ştei (Romania) and Torrelodones (Spain), Carlos Sainz, Alexandra Dinu, T. Dicu, K. Szacsvai, Constantin Cosma, L. S. Quindós, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 407, Issue 15, Pg 4452-4460, 2009.

http://esciencenews.com/topics/health.medicine

CONCLUSIONS

• From the indoor measurements, the Stei-Baita area can be categorized as “RADON-PRONE AREA”. (Over 64% of the measured values are significantly higher than the recommended level of 100 Bq/m3 ).

• From the 580 measurements performed in houses, the trend of the results has a log normal distribution, caused by the two sources orf radon in these area: soil and normal building material, and the second uranium waste used in building constructions.

• Very good result with differences under 10% - confirms the reliability of measurements made in our laboratory.

• Based on preliminary soil radon measurements in Stei-Baita area (at the measured depth), the results show a high radon risk: 25% of annually lung cancer deaths can be attributed to indoor radon exposure.

• The critical situation requires that remedial actions must be taken into consideration.


SECTORAL OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME “INCREASE OF ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS”PRIORITY AXIS 2 – Research, Technological Development and Innovation for Competitiveness

Operation 2.1.2: „ Complex research projects fostering the participation of high-level international experts”

Project POS CCE ID 586 - SMIS 12487/ 160/ 15.06.2010 The European Regional Development Fund

IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: 15 JUNE 2010 - 15 JULY 2013

BUDGET: 1 200 000 EUR

Objective: DEVELOPMENT OF EFFICIENT MITIGATION SOLUTIONS AGAINST POPULATION EXPOSURE TO RADON THROUGH INNOVATIVE RESEARCH WITH INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

■ the pilot house as a working prototype of a construction solution for protection against radon emissions

■ implementation of mitigation solutions in the 20 selected houses

IMPLEMENTATION OF RADON REMEDIATION TECHNIQUES IN DWELLINGS OF BǍIŢA URANIUM MINE AREA/ IRART

Objectives:

■ to measure indoor radon and to evaluate population exposures and lung cancer mortality for the people living in Bǎiţa area, Transylvania, Romania

■ to implement remedial actions and mitigation techniques

in affected dwellings

■ to integrate radon exposure of the public into the Indoor Air Quality legislation

■ to recommend a New Building Code and Regulations for building materials

■ to provide expertise in the field of radon measurements and mitigation at European standards


EFFECTIVENESS OF REMEDIATION TECHNIQUES…EFFECTIVENESS OF REMEDIATION TECHNIQUES…

Radon mitigation - existing buildings; Prevention - new buildings

- Depressurization of air within the soil with central pipe

- Radon barrier - a barrier to PREVENT the penetration of soil gas through any cracks in concrete slab


Project Manager: Prof. Univ. Dr. Carlos SAINZ, CANTABRIA UNIVERSITY, Santander, Spain

Co-Director of Project: Prof. Univ. Dr. Constantin COSMA, BABEŞ-BOLYAI UNIVERSITY, Romania

Responsible of Project: Dr. Ing. Alexandra DINU, BABEŞ-BOLYAI UNIVERSITY, Romania

CONTACT: www.irart.ro

BABEŞ-BOLYAI UNIVERSITY

Faculty of Environmental Science Fântânele 30, 400294 Cluj-Napoca

Romania

Tel: 004-0264-307030

Fax: 004-0264-307032

E-mail: [email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]




THANKS FOR YOUR

ATTENTION !

INDOOR RADON DATA AND LUNG CANCER MORTALITY IN RADON PRONE – AREA ŞTEI - BǍIŢA (ROMANIA)

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