Colorless, tasteless and odorless, this natural gas is present in the soil and in almost all buildings. It becomes carcinogenic when inhaled in high concentrations, typically indoors. It can be measured and even eliminated with ventilation
A new multidisciplinary study published in Scientific Reports found that people who act quickly to learn about, test and reduce exposure to radioactive radon gas inside their homes could reduce the risk of lung cancer by up to 40% compared to those who do not take precautions. The work, led by a multidisciplinary team of Canadian psychologists, biologists and oncologists, highlighted that rapid action is essential to reduce risks and that the moves taken to limit lifetime exposure to cancer-causing radiation are far more important. than previously believed. In Italy, 10% of new cases of lung cancer can be attributed to radon, which is the second cause of this cancer.
What is radon
About half of the radiation we absorb over a lifetime comes from radon, a gas that is released naturally from rocks, recognized by the Lyon International Agency for Research on Cancer as an agent for which there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity based on studies epidemiological studies on humans. Radon derived from the decay of uranium, a odorless, tasteless, colorless gas found in small quantities in soil and rocks and some building materials. Not perceptible with the senses, it does not cause obvious effects, which are even distant in time, the type of risk (lung cancer) is typically mutifactorial and can always be attributed to something else: all characteristics that contribute to minimizing the problem, which instead it exists. When radon escapes from the ground into the open, it disperses into the air, thus remaining at very low concentrations (a few Becquerels per cubic meter, Bq / m3, the unit of measurement of radioactivity). On the other hand, when it penetrates into a building, it concentrates and can reach values of hundreds or, more rarely, thousands of Bq / m3.
Because it is carcinogenic
As mentioned, reducing exposure to radon gas in homes greatly reduces the risk of lung cancer. When we breathe, we also inhale radon and other radioisotopes generated by the radon present in the indoor air of buildings. These damages are generally repaired by the cells, but there is a probability, proportional to the amount of radon, that the “failures” are not repaired correctly and that over time they become lung cancer.
In Canada, one of the highest rates of lung cancer in the world
Researchers have found that some Canadians absorb high levels of radiation into their lungs each year just by breathing in the air at home. To understand what we are talking about, it is about doses of radiation known to have caused tumors after the Chernobyl accident. This may explain why, even though Canadian tobacco consumption is among the lowest in the world, our lung cancer diagnosis and death rates are among the highest in the world, says Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, researcher who leads the study called Evict Radon, the national research carried out for years on carcinogenic gas in Canadian homes and on possible strategies to mitigate the risk. Radioactive radon gas, notes the study, the main cause of lung cancer in non smokers: in Canada one in five cases and in the most extreme situations, one in three cases, would be caused by radon. Smokers are also in danger, as exposure to radon multiplies the risks of lung cancer caused by tobacco: the risk of lung cancer, with the same concentration of radon, is much higher (20 times) for smokers than for smokers. non-smokers, as there is a multiplicative effect between cigarette smoke and radon
The danger of radon too underestimated
People, often unknowingly, absorb high doses of dangerous alpha particle radiation in their lungs for years due to exposure to the carcinogenic gas in their homes, long before lung cancer is diagnosed. The study determined that lifelong exposure to radioactive radon is significantly affected by individual behavior and socioeconomic factors. What the researchers found is that three out of five Canadians continue to live in homes with a high level of radon despite being aware of it and aware of the health risks they face. Half of those who know they are exposed to dangerous levels of the carcinogenic gas are unaware that it represents a problem or delay a solution in any case, while others cannot afford to solve it for economic reasons.
Never too late to intervene
Research also indicates that rapid action is essential to avoid the health risks deriving from exposure to radonbut that anyway not never too late to act. For example, those who have lived for many years in homes with high levels of radon have still managed, by mitigating exposure, to reduce the future risk of lung cancer, reducing the long-term risk comparable to that of those who they have always lived in a house with low or no radon levels.
Where it is located in Italy
But where is radon found in Italy? present, albeit in different quantities, in all buildings The regions where there are more high concentration values are Lazio, Lombardy, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Campania and in the volcanic areas, but in almost all regions there are more or less extensive areas , in relation to the characteristics of the soils and buildings. There are situations in which, in general, the concentrations are higher, as in the case of rooms on the ground floor or poorly ventilated rooms, but the variability is very high and diversified. The most dangerous places are usually homes because they are the environments in which you usually spend the most time.
How do you measure radon in your home
Measuring the radon concentration is quite simple and does not have excessive costs (about 25 euros for each survey). To do this, small boxes are used with a fragment of plastic on which the radiations emitted by the radon leave traces that can then be enlarged and analyzed in the laboratory. (commonly, even if erroneously, called “radon dosimeters”) are exposed for a year, in the environments where they remain longer, in order to obtain a representative average value. The European Directive 2013/59 / Euratom on basic safety standards against exposure to ionizing radiation, not yet implemented by Italy, requires Member States to establish a reference level (not exceeding 300 Bq / m3, both for homes and workplaces) above which action must certainly be taken to reduce the average concentration.
What to do to eliminate radon
If the value found is a few hundred Becquerels per cubic meter, one can equip oneself to reduce its levels. In the most impactful cases, structural interventions are possible to reduce the entry of radon into the building by sucking it from the ground below and dispersing it in the open air. Alternatively, you can rely on controlled mechanical ventilation systems which, in addition to reducing the concentration of radon, clean the air from pathogens, smoke and fine dust. Even in the case of radon, as for Sars-CoV-2, ventilation is essential – he explains Giorgio Buonanno, full professor of environmental technical physics at the University of Cassino and at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane (Australia) – even if radon does not know the source or even the quantities of emissions that can vary over time. We can reasonably believe that one air change per hour is sufficient to make the environment safe even if the sum of fine dust and radon increases the risk of lung cancer even more, as we demonstrated in a 2016 paper. A curious aspect is that in school environments where radon is present, unlike for Sars-CoV-2, the maximum concentration of radioactive gas that can be measured on Sundays, when the buildings are closed. This is because – explains Buonanno – at the weekend windows and doors do not open and the rooms are effectively sealed in the absence of students and teachers. Radon, a gas that comes from the subsoil, increases its concentration in the absence of aeration and ventilation and the levels are therefore higher. With Sars-CoV-2, on the other hand, the emission represented by the students and therefore, on the contrary, the peaks are present during school hours. In all cases, controlled mechanical ventilation can make the air cleaner and healthier.
October 24, 2022 (change October 24, 2022 | 09:55)
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