Measurements of 210Po embedded in glass have been performed with passive detectors in houses ofthree rural communities of Yugoslavia. Field work has been initiated and carried out by the VincaInstitute, Belgrade and analyses have been conducted by SSI (Sweden), UCD (Ireland), NRPA(Norway) and CRR (Italy). Based on 210Po concentration assessments, radon retrospective estimateshave been produced. Fairly good agreement amongst laboratories resulted both for polonium andradon determinations.
In recent years a number of case-control epidemiological studies have taken place and others are inprogress to evaluate the lung cancer risk to the general population from exposure to radon and itsshort-lived progeny in the indoor residential environment. While it is actually long term exposure overpast decades to radon progeny by inhalation that dominates lung doses, for a number of practicalreasons it is radon gas that is measured in these studies.
The first Norwegian study of historic radon concentrations in 17 dwellings in the high radon areas inNorway has been conducted as part of an international field intercomparison during 1998. Theinvestigation is part of SINI (an acronym for Sweden, Italy, Norway and Ireland) internationalcollaboration on retrospective radon measurements in several European countries having differentclimates and living conditions.
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