Radon: Risks and Applications

Environmental radioactivity monitoring is compulsory for European countries following the EURATOM Treaty. Isotopic determination of radon concentrations is important because this element escapes from rocks into the open air due to its gaseous nature. Inhalation of air with high radon content is the...

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Published inNuclear physics news Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 17 - 22
Main Authors Sánchez, Alejandro Martín, Poncela, Luis Santiago Quindós
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Taylor & Francis Group 01.07.2011
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Environmental monitoring
Geology
Inhalation
News
Nuclear physics
Radon
Rocks
Tobacco
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Summary:Environmental radioactivity monitoring is compulsory for European countries following the EURATOM Treaty. Isotopic determination of radon concentrations is important because this element escapes from rocks into the open air due to its gaseous nature. Inhalation of air with high radon content is the second most important cause of lung cancer (after tobacco smoking) according to the World Health Organization [ 1 ]. But the gaseous character of radon can also be used for the detection or study of geological processes. Moreover, as is the behavior typical of all gases, radon can be found dissolved in water under normal conditions. This last aspect can contribute additional information about certain geological processes involving water-atmosphere interactions in the environment.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 23
ISSN:1061-9127
1931-7336
DOI:10.1080/10619127.2011.604011