IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i4p1993-d746437.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Indoor Air Radon Concentration in Premises of Public Companies and Workplaces in Latvia

Author

Listed:
  • Jelena Reste

    (Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia)

  • Ilona Pavlovska

    (Laboratory of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, Riga Stradins University, Ratsupites Street 5, LV-1069 Riga, Latvia)

  • Zanna Martinsone

    (Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia)

  • Andris Romans

    (Radiation Safety Centre State Environmental Service of the Republic of Latvia, Rupniecibas Street 23, LV-1045 Riga, Latvia)

  • Inese Martinsone

    (Laboratory of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, Riga Stradins University, Ratsupites Street 5, LV-1069 Riga, Latvia)

  • Ivars Vanadzins

    (Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema Street 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia)

Abstract

Considering the multitudes of people who spend their time working indoors in public premises and workplaces, it is worth knowing what their level of exposure is to natural radioactive radon gas, the second most widespread and dangerous carcinogen for lung cancer development after cigarette smoking. This state-level study covered most of the territory of Latvia and conducted 941 radon measurements with Radtrack2, placed for 4–6 months in the premises of public companies, educational institutions, medical care institutions, etc. The study found that 94.7% of samples did not exceed the national permissible limit (200 Bq/m 3 ), the level at which preventive measures should be initiated. The median value of average specific radioactivity of radon in these premises was 48 Bq/m 3 (Q1 and Q3 being 27 and 85 Bq/m 3 ), which is below the average of the European region. Slightly higher concentrations were observed in well-insulated premises with plastic windows and poorer air exchange, mostly in schools (59 (36, 109) Bq/m 3 ) and kindergartens (48 (32, 79) Bq/m 3 ). Industrial workplaces had surprisingly low radon levels (28 (16, 55) Bq/m 3 ) due to strict requirements for air quality and proper ventilation. Public premises and workplaces in Latvia mostly have low radon concentrations in the air, but more attention should be paid to adequate ventilation and air exchange.

Suggested Citation

  • Jelena Reste & Ilona Pavlovska & Zanna Martinsone & Andris Romans & Inese Martinsone & Ivars Vanadzins, 2022. "Indoor Air Radon Concentration in Premises of Public Companies and Workplaces in Latvia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-14, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:4:p:1993-:d:746437
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/4/1993/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/4/1993/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carlos Rizo Maestre & Víctor Echarri Iribarren, 2018. "The Radon Gas in Underground Buildings in Clay Soils. The Plaza Balmis Shelter as a Paradigm," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-14, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Carlos Rizo-Maestre & Víctor Echarri-Iribarren, 2020. "Radon Gas in the City of Alicante. High Risk of Low Indoor Air Quality in Poorly Ventilated Buildings," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-25, November.
    2. Timofey Leshukov & Konstantin Legoshchin & Aleksey Larionov, 2023. "Radon Hazard of the Zhurinsky Fault for the Population in the Kuznetsk Coal Basin: Primary Results," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-14, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:4:p:1993-:d:746437. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.