Indoor radon measurements were carried out in 30 elementary schools in Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia, during the winter months of December 2008 to early March 2009. Two classrooms, one each from ground floor and first floor were chosen from each school making a total of 60 classrooms. In some of the classrooms, two detectors (open and closed) were used to measure the concentrations of rado...

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of occupational and environmental exposure on respiratory symptoms in adults in rural Beijing, China. Thirty randomly selected villages in the counties of Shunyi and Tongxian, 50 km north and east, respectively, of the city of Beijing, China, participated in this study. Village doctors interviewed all residents aged > or = 15 yrs and com...

The need for assessing noncancer risks for agents to which humans are routinely exposed indoors arises from the large amount of time spent indoors (i.e., employed persons spend about 60% of their time at home indoors, 30% at work indoors, and 5% in transit). Sources of air pollutants include heating and cooling systems, combustion appliances, personal use products, furnishings, tobacco products...

The starting point of the Spanish experience in the study of High Background Radiation Areas is the development of a nationwide indoor radon survey carried out in 1988. This campaign, belonging to the first Spanish Radon Framework, consisted of approximately 2000 indoor radon measurements which represented a valuable basis to face rigorously the radon issue in Spain. Together but indepently fro...

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. Smoking is definitely the most important risk factor for lung cancer. Radon ((222)Rn) is a natural gas produced from radium ((226)Ra) in the decay series of uranium ((238)U). Radon exposure is the second most common cause of lung cancer and the first risk factor for lung cancer in never-smokers. Case-control studies have provi...

Background: Environmental gamma ray refers to the gamma radiation from terrestrial sources and building materials. In enclosed spaces radiation can become a health hazard leading to potential increase in the rates of lung cancer. The goal of this study is to assess the exposure to natural gamma radiation of children in the schools of Zanjan province. Method:The natural gamma radiation was asse...