Dosimetric Comparison of Exposure Pathways to Human Organs and Tissues in Radon Therapy

Werner Hofmann, Herbert Lettner and Alexander Hubmer
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Werner Hofmann: Biological Physics, Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Herbert Lettner: Biological Physics, Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Alexander Hubmer: Biological Physics, Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-19

Abstract: Three therapeutic applications are presently prescribed in the radon spas in Gastein, Austria: exposure to radon in a thermal bath, exposure to radon vapor in an exposure chamber (vapor bath), and exposure to radon in the thermal gallery, a former mine. The radiological exposure pathways to human organs and tissues in these therapeutic radon applications are inhalation of radon and radon progeny via the lungs, radon transfer from water or air through the skin, and radon-progeny deposition on the skin in water or air. The objectives of the present study were to calculate radon and radon-progeny doses for selected organs and tissues for the different exposure pathways and therapeutic applications. Doses incurred in red bone marrow, liver, kidneys, and Langerhans cells in the skin may be correlated with potential therapeutic benefits, while doses to the lungs and the basal cells of the skin indicate potential carcinogenic effects. The highest organ doses among the three therapeutic applications were produced in the thermal gallery by radon progeny via inhalation, with lung doses of 5.0 mSv, and attachment to the skin, with skin doses of 4.4 mSv, while the radon contribution was less significant. For comparison, the primary exposure pathways in the thermal bath are the radon uptake through the skin, with lung doses of 334 ?Sv, and the radon-progeny attachment to the skin, with skin doses of 216 ?Sv, while the inhalation route can safely be neglected.

Keywords: radon therapy; thermal water; radon inhalation; biokinetic models; organ dose calculations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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