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Impacts of Indoor Radon on Health: A Comprehensive Review on Causes, Assessment and Remediation Strategies

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  • Leonel J. R. Nunes

    (PROMETHEUS, Unidade de Investigação em Materiais, Energia e Ambiente para a Sustentabilidade, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
    Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4990-706 Ponte de Lima, Portugal)

  • António Curado

    (PROMETHEUS, Unidade de Investigação em Materiais, Energia e Ambiente para a Sustentabilidade, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
    Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-348 Viana do Castelo, Portugal)

  • Luís C. C. da Graça

    (UICISA:E, Unidade de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde: Enfermagem, Escola Superior de Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal)

  • Salete Soares

    (UICISA:E, Unidade de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde: Enfermagem, Escola Superior de Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal)

  • Sérgio Ivan Lopes

    (Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-348 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
    ADiT-Lab, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
    Instituto de Telecomunicações (I), Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

Abstract

Indoor radon exposure is raising concerns due to its impact on health, namely its known relationship with lung cancer. Consequently, there is an urgent need to understand the risk factors associated with radon exposure, and how this can be harmful to the health of exposed populations. This article presents a comprehensive review of studies indicating a correlation between indoor radon exposure and the higher probability of occurrence of health problems in exposed populations. The analyzed studies statistically justify this correlation between exposure to indoor radon and the incidence of lung diseases in regions where concentrations are particularly high. However, some studies also showed that even in situations where indoor radon concentrations are lower, can be found a tendency, albeit smaller, for the occurrence of negative impacts on lung cancer incidence. Lastly, regarding risk remediation, an analysis has been conducted and presented in two core perspectives: (i) focusing on the identification and application of corrective measures in pre-existing buildings, and (ii) focusing on the implementation of preventive measures during the project design and before construction, both focusing on mitigating negative impacts of indoor radon exposure on the health of populations.

Suggested Citation

  • Leonel J. R. Nunes & António Curado & Luís C. C. da Graça & Salete Soares & Sérgio Ivan Lopes, 2022. "Impacts of Indoor Radon on Health: A Comprehensive Review on Causes, Assessment and Remediation Strategies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-14, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:7:p:3929-:d:779655
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Marie-Eve Levasseur & Patrick Poulin & Céline Campagna & Jean-Marc Leclerc, 2017. "Integrated Management of Residential Indoor Air Quality: A Call for Stakeholders in a Changing Climate," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-14, November.
    2. Sérgio Ivan Lopes & Leonel J. R. Nunes & António Curado, 2021. "Designing an Indoor Radon Risk Exposure Indicator (IRREI): An Evaluation Tool for Risk Management and Communication in the IoT Age," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-26, July.
    3. Jonathan M. Samet & Richard W. Hornung, 1990. "Review of Radon and Lung Cancer Risk," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(1), pages 65-75, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alberto Pietro Damiano Baltrocchi & Lucrezia Maggi & Bruno Dal Lago & Vincenzo Torretta & Márta Szabó & Muhtor Nasirov & Ergash Kabilov & Elena Cristina Rada, 2023. "Mechanisms of Diffusion of Radon in Buildings and Mitigation Techniques," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-16, December.

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