دانلود رایگان ترجمه مقاله بررسی قرار گرفتن در معرض رادون به عنوان مسئله بهداشت عمومی (نشریه Sciencedomain 2015)

مواجهه با رادون به عنوان یک مسئله بهداشت عمومی- یک بازنگری

Exposure to Radon as a Public Health Issue- A Review

Abstract

Radon (222Rn) is a noble gas formed from the decay of radium (226Ra), which is a decay product of Uranium (238U). Radon is an inert noble gas, having a half-life of 3.8 days emanating from rocks and soils and tending to concentrate in enclosed spaces like underground mines or houses. Radon was classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 1988, a review of the major studies of underground miners exposed to radon that were available in the 1990s and case-control study of residential radon exposure confirmed radon as a carcinogen. This paper reviews the publications of the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency and other relevant publications specifically on sources and historical perspectives of radon, the association between lung cancer and radon, health effects and radon risk communication.

2- RADON HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

High mortality rate from respiratory diseases among miners in Central Europe had been identified before the seventeen century. In the nineteen century, it was confirmed that the disease was lung cancer. Radon was first suspected as the primary cause of these cancers. As early as in the 1950s, domestic and drinking water from drilled wells were observed to have high concentrations of radon. By the mid1970s, building materials was recognized to emanate radon in some areas due to the use of alum shale with enhanced levels of radium. In 1978, soil gas infiltration became recognized as the most important source of radon as indoor radon concentration were found not to be associated with well water transport or emanation from building materials [3]. Radon has been classified as a human carcinogen [6,7] based on the epidemiological studies of High mortality rate from respiratory diseases among miners in Central Europe had been identified before the seventeen century. In the nineteen century, it was confirmed that the disease was lung cancer. Radon was first suspected as the primary cause of these cancers. As early as in the 1950s, domestic and drinking water from drilled wells were observed to have high concentrations of radon. By the mid1970s, building materials was recognized to emanate radon in some areas due to the use of alum shale with enhanced levels of radium. In 1978, soil gas infiltration became recognized as the most important source of radon as indoor radon concentration were found not to be associated with well water transport or emanation from building materials [3]. Radon has been classified as a human carcinogen [6,7] based on the epidemiological studies of underground miners exposed to high radon concentrations in their workplaces.

A large number of studies have examined the relationship between indoor radon and lung cancer since then. The three pooled-analyses from the major studies in Europe, North America and China present very similar pictures of the risks of lung cancer from residential exposure to radon. Together, they provide overwhelming evidence that radon is causing a substantial number of lung cancers in the general population and they provided a direct estimate of the magnitude of the risk. They also suggested that an increased risk of lung cancer cannot be excluded even below 200 Bq/m3 , which is the radon concentration at which action is currently advocated in many countries [3]. Radon is now recognized as the second most important cause of lung cancer after smoking in the general population [3].