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It has been found that algae have a variety of health benefits, although investigations showed that they contain radiotoxic elements, including 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs, which may affect human health. This study is connected to activity concentration measurements of the above radionuclides in the algae supplements available in the Middle East markets. The annual effective radiation doses of measured radionuclides in analyzed algal supplements have been calculated. The highest values of annual effective doses have been estimated for 226Ra in Ecklonia (13.39 µSv/y) and for 232Th in Red Marine Algae (11.80 µSv/y), both from South Korea. In algal "superfoods", the effective dose of 137Cs is not significantly affected by the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the activity levels of radionuclides are low, the naturally occurring radionuclides provide the most effective doses, and algae supplements can be considered safe.

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This study assessed radon (222Rn) levels in drinking water sources in the Nizampur basin and their potential health risks for the local community. We analyzed 48 water samples on-site using RAD7. Additionally, we measured pH, temperature (T), total dissolved solids (TDS), redox potential (ORP), and electrical conductivity (EC) with a multiparameter analyzer. Results showed pH, T, TDS, ORP, and EC ranging from 7.2 to 8, 17 to 26 °C, 333 to 1130 mg/l, -56 to 284 mV, and 469 to 2370 µS/cm. 222Rn levels varied significantly (0.7-107 Bq/l, mean 23 ± 21, median = 17 Bq/l), with about 65 % exceeding the EPA's limit of 11.1 Bq/l, indicating health risks likely due to local geological conditions. The annual effective doses for ingestion (EwIng) were 0.87 ± 0.01, 0.35 ± 0.006, and 0.13 ± 0.002 µSv/a for adults, infants, and children, respectively. Exposure risk via the inhalation (EwInh) route ranged from 1.75 to 270 µSv/a, with the highest risk in infants, followed by children and adults. Inhalation was the primary exposure route for all age groups. Further, spatial distribution maps and hotspot analysis suggested that the central region characterized by high structural deformation and favorable geology for radon emanation was the area of concern in terms of health risks.

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A screening survey has been carried out to measure the radon concentration in drinking water at various locations of Ajodhya hill and surrounding areas in Purulia district of West Bengal, India, using AlphaGUARD radon monitor. The obtained 222Rn concentration in ground water varies from 5.71 ± 0.29 to 579.47 ± 23.18 Bq/l with an average of 110.00 ± 6.61 Bq/l. Comparison between our results with the internationally recommended reference levels reveals that drinking of water from the majority of these tube-wells can pose significant health risks to the local people. Correlation study indicates that tube-well depth has significant influence on the radon level in water samples. Using 60 l/yr and 1642.50 l/yr water consumption estimated annual effective radon doses for most of the samples (almost 70% and 96%, respectively) are high compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) Commission prescribed reference dose limit of 100 µSv/yr. Also, the evaluated Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) values associated with the tube-wells are showing serious threat to the health of the locals.The primary goal of this work is to develop a radon profile map of this area and to find out the possible reasons behind the elevated radon level in ground water. This type of work may play a very crucial role to aware the locals in perspective of human exposure to radon. The local health officials and the water quality regulators of India are requested to take necessary steps for protecting the local people from water radon hazard.

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The objective of this study is to investigate the levels of radon gas and increase public awareness of its hazards to health in Bethlehem governorate- Palestine. The concentrations of radon-222 and radium- 226 in 79 different types of water samples were measured. The average values of radon and radium concentrations in tap water, rainwater, groundwater, and mineral water samples were 0.93 Bq/ℓ and 45.5 Bq/kg, 1.01 Bq/ℓ and 49.3 Bq/kg, 1.21 Bq/ℓ and 59.3 Bq/kg, and 0.60 Bq/ℓ and 29.2 Bq/kg, respectively. All the measured radon concentrations in the collected samples were within the limit of 11 Bq/ℓ established by UNSCEAR in 1982. The annual effective doses for ingestion and inhalation due to radon in water were calculated for adults, children, and infants using parameters introduced by UNSCEAR in 2000. The results show that there is no significant risk to public health from radon inhalation or ingestion through drinking water in the study region.

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The present work determines the contents of active and passive indoor 222Rn, 220Rn, and their daughter in the 32 houses of the Reasi district of J&K, India. The passive 222Rn and 220Rn concentration was measured by dosimeters, whereas the active content was measured by active radon monitor. Progeny sensors and integrated samplers were operated for the evaluation of passive and active daughter contents of 222Rn and 220Rn. The measured averaged values of indoor 220Rn and 222Rn were 73 ± 40 and 22 ± 8 Bqm-3, respectively. The radon and thoron equilibrium factor has varied from 0.3 to 1.7 and from 0.006 to 0.6. The fine fraction of the above-mentioned gases was also calculated. The results of Mann-Whitney test statistically demonstrated significant differences between the content of indoor 222Rn, 220Rn, and their daughter for different seasons. The values of 222Rn, 220Rn, and their daughter content were appeared to be elevated in set of mud houses among all sets of houses. The values of all daughter concentration and indoor 222Rn were appeared to lie within the limit proposed by various agencies. The total doses were detected less than range commended by ICRP that suggested the district is safe as a health hazard point of view.

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At the end of 36 years after the Chernobyl disaster, about 5 million people still live in the radioactively contaminated territories of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, and the density of radioactive contamination by Cesium-137 and Strontium-90 will remain radiologically significant for decades. We assessed cervical and endometrial cancer primary incidence (new cases) in the female population from the Bryansk region living in conditions of chemical, radioactive, and combined environmental contamination for 2000−2020. We found a significant increase in the long-term trend in the primary incidence of cervical and endometrial cancer in all the studied groups, regardless of the environmental conditions of residence (p < 0.00001). We did not find statistically significant differences in the incidence of cervical and endometrial cancer in women, regardless of the level of chemical, radioactive, and combined environmental contamination. However, women living in environmentally unfavorable areas (in total, in the territories of chemical, radioactive, and combined contamination) are statistically significantly more likely to develop endometrial cancer in terms of relative risk compared to environmentally safe (control) areas (RR 1.17 (1.08−1.27)). No such pattern was found for cervix cancer. It should be noted, since environmentally safe (control) areas have a certain level of contamination (albeit low), RR is underestimated.

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A comprehensive radio-ecological evaluation of soil samples of Solan and Shimla districts of Himachal Pradesh has been carried out for risk and dose assessment. Twenty-six randomly selected environmental soil samples were analysed for natural radionuclide concentrations (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) using NaI(Tl) scintillator detector. The average concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K was observed as 37, 59 and 430 Bq kg-1, respectively, which exceeded the worldwide average of 33, 45 and 412 Bq kg-1 reported by UNSCEAR (Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. Report to the general assembly with scientific annexes, New York, 2008). Radium equivalent activity (Raeq), hazard indices (Hex, Hin) and radioactivity level indices (Iϒr, Iα, AUI) and Clark value were checked against their threshold limits, and their mean values were safely below the recommended criteria. This confirms the soil applicability for construction purposes. Indoor and outdoor dose rates (D), age-dependent annual effective doses (AED), organ-specific doses and lifetime attributable cancer risk (both cancer incidence and cancer mortality) were also computed. Strong positive correlation was established between radon/thoron exhalation rate and their parent radionuclides. Multivariate statistical technique was employed to explore spatial distribution of radionuclides and homogeneity between various radiological parameters.

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Background: Radioactive contamination and chemical pollution of the environment can affect the processes of carcinogenesis, including the formation of malignant neoplasms of the ovaries in women. We used the data of official state statistics for 2000-2020 to test the hypothesis about the effect of radioactive contamination (following the Chernobyl disaster) and chemical pollutants on the incidence of ovarian malignancies in the female population of the Bryansk region. Methods: A variety of statistical approaches were used to estimate the incidence of ovarian malignancies, including the Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman's rank correlation test and linear regression. Results: We did not establish statistically significant differences in the frequency of primary morbidity of women with malignant neoplasms of the ovaries, regardless of the environmental conditions of living. Furthermore, no significant correlations were found between the frequency of primary morbidity of ovarian malignancies, both with the level of contamination by Cesium-137 and Strontium-90, and air pollution with volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. A statistically significant increase in the long-term trend in the frequency of ovarian malignant neoplasms was revealed in the areas of chemical pollution (p = 0.02), however, in other territories, no statistically significant regularities were established. The forecast of the frequency of newly diagnosed malignant neoplasms of the ovaries on average in the Bryansk region shows an increase of 12.4% in 2020 in comparison with the real data for 2020, while the largest increase in predicted values is recorded in the territories of radioactive contamination (by 79.6%), and the least in the combined territories (by 6.9%). Conclusions: The results obtained indicate the need for further work to understand the trends in the presence/absence of independent and combined effects of pollutants and the growth of oncogynecological pathology from the perspective of assessing the distant and regional metastasis, histological and immunohistochemical profile of a specific malignant ovarian neoplasm with levels of environmental contamination.

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Abstract: This study focuses on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on annual effective doses and excess lifetime cancer risk values due to ionizing radiation and radon which has been reported UNSCEAR 2000. The random data collection questionnaire method was applied to assess the indoor and outdoor occupancy factor for three age groups during the epidemic in Turkey. The results indicated age group C (Age > 65 y) has more influence from pandemic indoor and outdoor occupancy factor. As compared to before pandemic data in study area and global average exposure to natural radioactive sources.

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Spring waters in the south of Catalonia were analysed to determine the (222)Rn activity in order to be able to establish a correlation between the obtained values with the geology of the area of origin of these samples, and also estimate the potential health risks associated with (222)Rn. Most of the analysed samples (90%) show (222)Rn activities lower than 100Bq/L (exposure limit in water recommended by the World Health Organisation and EU directive 2013/51/EURATOM). However, in some cases, the activity values found for this isotope exceeded those levels and this can be attributed to the geology of the area where the spring waters are located, which is predominantly of granitic characteristics. To verify the origin of the radon present in the analysed samples, the obtained activity values were compared with the activities of its parents ((226)Ra, (238)U and (234)U). Finally, we have calculated the annual effective dose from all the radionuclides measured in spring water samples. The results showed that the higher contribution due to spring water ingestion come from (222)Rn and (226)Ra. The resulting contribution to the annual effective dose due to radon ingestion varies between 10.2 and 765.8 µSv/y, and the total annual effective dose due to his parents, (226)Ra, (234)U and (238)U varies between 0.8 and 21.2 µSv/y so the consumption of these waters does not involve any risks to population due to its natural radioactivity content.

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