Radon Hazard in Central Italy: Comparison among Areas with Different Geogenic Radon Potential

Francesca Giustini, Livio Ruggiero, Alessandra Sciarra, Stan Eugene Beaubien, Stefano Graziani, Gianfranco Galli, Luca Pizzino, Maria Chiara Tartarello, Carlo Lucchetti, Pietro Sirianni, Paola Tuccimei, Mario Voltaggio, Sabina Bigi and Giancarlo Ciotoli
Additional contact information
Francesca Giustini: National Research Council, Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering, CNR-IGAG, 00015 Rome, Italy
Livio Ruggiero: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, 00143 Rome, Italy
Alessandra Sciarra: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, 00143 Rome, Italy
Stan Eugene Beaubien: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza-Università di Roma, DST-Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy
Stefano Graziani: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza-Università di Roma, DST-Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy
Gianfranco Galli: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, 00143 Rome, Italy
Luca Pizzino: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, 00143 Rome, Italy
Maria Chiara Tartarello: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza-Università di Roma, DST-Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy
Carlo Lucchetti: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza-Università di Roma, DST-Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy
Pietro Sirianni: National Research Council, Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering, CNR-IGAG, 00015 Rome, Italy
Paola Tuccimei: Dipartimento di Scienze, Università di Roma Tre, 00154 Rome, Italy
Mario Voltaggio: National Research Council, Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering, CNR-IGAG, 00015 Rome, Italy
Sabina Bigi: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza-Università di Roma, DST-Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giancarlo Ciotoli: National Research Council, Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering, CNR-IGAG, 00015 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-23

Abstract: Radon ( 222 Rn) is a natural radioactive gas formed in rocks and soil by the decay of its parent nuclide (238-Uranium). The rate at which radon migrates to the surface, be it along faults or directly emanated from shallow soil, represents the Geogenic Radon Potential (GRP) of an area. Considering that the GRP is often linked to indoor radon risk levels, we have conducted multi-disciplinary research to: (i) define local GRPs and investigate their relationship with associated indoor Rn levels; (ii) evaluate inhaled radiation dosages and the associated risk to the inhabitants; and (iii) define radon priority areas (RPAs) as required by the Directive 2013/59/Euratom. In the framework of the EU-funded LIFE-Respire project, a large amount of data (radionuclide content, soil gas samples, terrestrial gamma, indoor radon) was collected from three municipalities located in different volcanic districts of the Lazio region (central Italy) that are characterised by low to high GRP. Results highlight the positive correlation between the radionuclide content of the outcropping rocks, the soil Rn concentrations and the presence of high indoor Rn values in areas with medium to high GRP. Data confirm that the Cimini–Vicani area has inhalation dosages that are higher than the reference value of 10 mSv/y.

Keywords: soil gas and indoor radon; geogenic radon potential; risk assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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