These notes represent an extended version of the contents of the third lecture delivered at the AMS Short Course “Radon Transform and Applications to Inverse Problems” in Atlanta in January 2005. They contain a brief description of properties of some generalized Radon transforms arising in inverse problems. Here by generalized Radon transforms we mean transforms that involve integrations over c...

Introduction The potential hazards posed by exposure to radiation from radon have been of great concern worldwide, since it is especially associated with increased risk of lung cancer. Some radioisotopes of radon progeny deposited in the human lungs emit β particles followed by the γ rays. While γ rays are comparatively less damaging to the respiratory system than α and β particles, it is the p...

OBJECTIVE To compare ecologic classification of radon exposure from observed residential concentrations in BC with classifications based on a map that shows geological radon potential, with particular attention to high-smoking populations. METHODS First, residential radon measurements from four health agencies were used to classify 74 local health areas (LHAs) as low, moderate, or high exposu...

Publicly available information about radon potential in Northern Ireland is currently based on indoor radon results averaged over 1-km grid squares, an approach that does not take into account the geological origin of the radon. This study describes a spatially more accurate estimate of the radon potential of Northern Ireland using an integrated radon potential mapping method based on indoor ra...

Radon-222 (also known as radon) is a relatively long-lived isotope of radon and originates from uranium present in the earth's crust. Radon-220 (also known as thoron) is a short-lived isotope of radon and originates from thorium present in the earth's crust. Fundamental properties and health hazards of these gases are compared. On the average, the thoron contribution to the total dose to the lu...

Radon is the oldest drug used by mankind. Ceremonial donations excavated at the hot radon springs in the Gastein valley, Austria, originate from the younger stone age. Today some 50 000 patients suffering from rheumatic deceases like ankylosing spondilytis are visiting the Radon therapy at Gastein, a few hundred thousands per year all over the world. Other radon therapies are located in Japan a...

Although elevated indoor radon concentration can occur almost anywhere, some areas of the U.S. have a much higher fraction of homes with elevated levels than do other areas. Knowledge of what areas tend to have elevated indoor concentrations would allow education and regulatory measures (such as required housing construction techniques) to be focused on populations most at risk from radon. In t...