Assessing the Radon Exposure Variability and Lifetime Health Effects across Indoor Microenvironments and Sub-Populations

• Published in: Atmosphere Vol. 15; no. 8; p. 927
• Main Authors: Lee, Soo-Yong, Lim, Sang-Hun, Kim, Hee-Seok
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Activity patterns; Age; Age groups; annual effective dose; Environmental aspects; excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR-C); Exposure; Handbooks; Health aspects; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Indoor environments; Lung cancer; Measurement; Microenvironments; Monte Carlo method; Monte Carlo simulation; Population studies; Radon; Radon content; radon exposure; Radon levels; Regional variations; Regions; Residential areas; Risk assessment; Schools; Service life assessment; sub-populations; Subpopulations; Young adults; South Korea
• ISSN: 2073-4433; 2073-4433
• DOI: 10.3390/atmos15080927

To assess the health impacts of radon exposure over a lifetime, in the present study, the annual effective dose (AED) and cumulative excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR-C) were evaluated by considering various indoor microenvironmental exposures based on age-specific time–activity patterns using Monte Carlo simulations. Significant regional variations in indoor radon concentrations across the Republic of Korea were observed, with the highest levels found in schools and single detached houses. Based on the standard annual total of 8760 h spent indoors and outdoors, the AED varied by age group and dwelling type, with the ELCR-C for single detached houses being approximately 1.36 times higher than that for apartments on average. The present study highlights the importance of comprehensive health risk assessments that consider differences across indoor environments and age groups, indicating that limited evaluations of specific sites or areas may distort actual exposure levels.