Guadie Degu Belete * † and Aragaw Msganaw Shiferaw
Physics Department , College of Natural and Computational Sciences , Assosa University , Assosa , Ethiopia
Edited by : Camillo Porta ,
University of Bari Aldo Moro , Italy
Reviewed by : Luciano Mutti ,
Temple University , United States Vakkas Bozkurt ,
Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University , Turkey
† ORCID :
Received : 13 April 2022 Accepted : 24 June 2022
Published : 05 September 2022
Citation : Belete GD and Shiferaw AM ( 2022 ) A
Review of Studies on the Seasonal Variation of Indoor Radon-
Due to their electrostatic nature , radon decay products can attach to solid particles and aerosols in the air . Inhalation and ingestion are therefore the two main routes through which people are exposed to radon and its decay products . During the inhalation of these radioactive aerosols , deposition takes place in different regions of the human respiratory tract . The deposited aerosols carrying radon and its progeny undergo a continuous radioactive transformation and expose the lung to ionizing alpha radiation , which can destroy the sensitive cells in the lung , causing a mutation that turns cancerous . Radon which is a colorless , odorless , and tasteless radioactive noble gas is a major health concern and is the second leading cause of lung cancer . To address this , an indoor radon survey was conducted in many countries internationally , with results showing that indoor radon concentration has a seasonal variation . This is due to the fluctuation of environmental parameters and the geological nature of buildings . Its concentration was found to be maximum in the cool ( winter ) season and a minimum concentration was recorded in the warm ( summer ) season of the year .
Keywords : indoor radon , environmental factors , seasonal variation , lung cancer , building
INTRODUCTION
Since the existence of life began , living things in the universe , including humans , animals , and plants , have been exposed to natural radiation ( 1 ). Our world is full of radioactivity , with over 60 radionuclides found in nature ( 2 ). These radionuclides are the source of radioactivity and emit nuclear radiation which has become a part of our daily lives . Radiation is present everywhere and human beings are directly or indirectly exposed to radiation continuously . This radiation comes from different natural and human-made sources . The ionizing radiation originates from soils , water , building materials , air , water , mining areas , and cosmic origins , etc ( 2 ). Every day , we ingest or inhale nuclides in the air we breathe , in the food we eat , and in the water we drink . Therefore we have to investigate whether the natural radioactive level of the environment where human beings live is suitable for healthy living .
Human populations can be exposed to manmade and natural radiation sources . The natural radiation surrounding life on earth can either be terrestrial or extraterrestrial ( cosmic ) in origin . Terrestrial radiation includes the ionizing radiation arising from radionuclides in the earth ’ s environment , originating from the soil , rocks , construction materials , water , air , and mining areas , and cosmic rays are high energy radiations that enter the earth ’ s atmosphere from outer space ( 3 ). Radioactive elements such as 238 U , 232 Th , and their decay products , 226 Ra , 222 Rn , as well as 40 K are major sources of radiation of natural origin ( 4 ). Ionizing radiations such as α , β , and γ
radiations are emitted out from different terrestrial materials from which soil is a major source of
Oncology Reviews | Published by Frontiers 1 September 2022 | Volume 16 | Article 10570