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Answer to Question #943 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"Category: Environmental and Background Radiation — General The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field: Q
Have any adverse health impacts been reported anywhere in the world due to excessive natural radiation?
A
The only conclusive adverse health effect from natural radiation has been the reported increase of lung cancers in underground miners exposed to radon.
Sources of natural radiation include cosmic radiation from space, terrestrial radionuclides in the earth, and cosmogenic radionuclides, such as 3H and 14C, that are created by cosmic radiation in the atmosphere. The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) Report No. 94, "Exposure of the Population in the United States and Canada from Natural Background Radiation," 1987, is a useful reference.
The radon of most concern is 222Rn, which is a radioactive gas. It is a decay product of 238U and 226Ra which are mined at various locations throughout the world. Because 222Rn has a half-life of 3.8 days, it can accumulate in the air of the mines. The solid decay products of 222Rn, which may become attached to dust or smoke particles, are inhaled by the miners. As these decay products undergo further decay, a radioactive dose is deposed in the lungs and pulmonary tissues. It is believed that this radioactive exposure leads to the increased number of lung cancers seen in these underground miners. Estimates of the increased cancer risk to the underground miners from radon can be found on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site.
John Jacobus, M.S., CHP
Answer posted on 4 June 2001. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.
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