De Maria, Luigi 
ORCID: 0000-0002-0553-5309, Sponselli, Stefania ORCID: 0000-0002-9190-8537, Caputi, Antonio ORCID: 0000-0001-8872-6786, Delvecchio, Giuseppe ORCID: 0009-0000-4387-3432, Giannelli, Gianmarco ORCID: 0000-0002-8234-2690, Pipoli, Antonella ORCID: 0000-0002-1800-0872, Cafaro, Francesco, Zagaria, Silvia, Cavone, Domenica ORCID: 0000-0002-2009-1806, Sardone, Rodolfo ORCID: 0000-0003-1383-1850 et al (show 1 more authors)
(2023)
Indoor Radon Concentration Levels in Healthcare Settings: The Results of an Environmental Monitoring in a Large Italian University Hospital.
International journal of environmental research and public health, 20 (6).
4685-.
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<sup>3</sup>), followed by ground-floor rooms (88.2 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>), first-floor rooms (78.1 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>), second-floor rooms (66.7 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>), and third-floor rooms (68.9 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>). An average radon concentration lower than the WHO recommended level of 100 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> was detected in 73.5% of monitored environments, while only 0.9% exceeded the reference level of 300 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> set by the national law (Legislative Decree 101/2020). The frequency of environments in which radon concentrations exceed 300 Bq/m<sup>3</sup> is significantly higher in the basement (<i>p</i>-value < 0.001). As for a previous preliminary investigation in the same hospital conducted on a much smaller number of premises (<i>n</i> = 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.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Humans, Radon, Air Pollutants, Radioactive, Radiation Monitoring, Housing, Air Pollution, Indoor, Environmental Monitoring, Hospitals, University, Italy |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 06 Oct 2023 13:56 |
| Last Modified: | 06 Oct 2023 13:57 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/ijerph20064685 |
| Open Access URL: | https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064685 |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3173504 |
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