Indoor Radon Concentration Levels in Healthcare Settings: The Results of an Environmental Monitoring in a Large Italian University Hospital

Luigi De Maria, Stefania Sponselli, Antonio Caputi, Giuseppe Delvecchio, Gianmarco Giannelli, Antonella Pipoli, Francesco Cafaro, Silvia Zagaria, Domenica Cavone, Rodolfo Sardone and Luigi Vimercati ()
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Luigi De Maria: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Stefania Sponselli: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Antonio Caputi: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Giuseppe Delvecchio: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Gianmarco Giannelli: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Antonella Pipoli: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Francesco Cafaro: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Silvia Zagaria: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Domenica Cavone: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
Rodolfo Sardone: Unit of Data Sciences and Technology Innovation for Population Health, National Institute of Gastroenterology “Saverio de Bellis”, Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy
Luigi Vimercati: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-8

Abstract: The aim of the study is to determine the radon concentrations in the University Hospital of Bari, Apulia Region, Southern Italy. The monitoring took place from 2017 to 2018 for a total of 402 days and included 3492 premises. Radon environmental sampling was performed with passive dosimeters of the CR-39 type. The highest mean concentration was found in basement rooms (118.9 Bq/m 3 ), followed by ground-floor rooms (88.2 Bq/m 3 ), first-floor rooms (78.1 Bq/m 3 ), second-floor rooms (66.7 Bq/m 3 ), and third-floor rooms (68.9 Bq/m 3 ). An average radon concentration lower than the WHO recommended level of 100 Bq/m 3 was detected in 73.5% of monitored environments, while only 0.9% exceeded the reference level of 300 Bq/m 3 set by the national law (Legislative Decree 101/2020). The frequency of environments in which radon concentrations exceed 300 Bq/m 3 is significantly higher in the basement ( p -value < 0.001). As for a previous preliminary investigation in the same hospital conducted on a much smaller number of premises ( n = 401), most of the monitored environments had radon concentrations lower than the reference levels set by the new national law, and the risk to the healthcare workers’ health derived from occupational exposure to radon could be considered acceptable.

Keywords: radon exposure; healthcare workers; reference levels (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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