TITLE:
Assessment of Radon Concentrations inside Residential Buildings and Estimation of the Dose in the City of Kaya, Burkina Faso
AUTHORS:
Wend-Yam Appolinaire Elola, Telado Luc Bambara, Ali Doumounia, Nièssan Kohio, Soumaila Ouédraogo, François Zougmore
KEYWORDS:
Radon, Concentration, Dose, Relative Risk, Lung Cancer
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.13 No.7,
July
26,
2023
ABSTRACT: Colorless, incessant radon gas is notably the second most important cause
of lung cancer after smoking in smokers and
the first cause in non-smokers. Having little effect in the atmosphere,
radon gas accumulates in confined spaces. Therefore,
the determination of radon concentrations inside residential buildings is very important to improve the health of the inhabitants. The objective of
this research is to measure the concentration of radon in indoor air in
residential areas of the city of Kaya and to assess the absorbed dose, the effective dose and the relative risk of lung
cancer. In this study, the CORENTIUM AIR THINGS digital radon detector is used
to determine the radon concentration in twenty-one houses in Kaya. The
CORENTIUM AIR THINGS digital radon detector has been placed in each residential
building for a minimum period of one week and the concentration values are read every 24 hours. This
research revealed that the average concentration of radon was 28.47 Bq/m3 in the residential areas of Kaya. The radon
concentration in a house has been found to exceed 100 Bq/m3, which
is the level authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the long
term, the absorbed dose varies from 0.118 mSv to 4.975 mSv and the effective
dose is between 0.229 mSv and 12.002 mSv. In the short term, the absorbed dose
varies between 0.095 mSv to 5.001 mSv and the effective dose is between 0.283
mSv to 11.935 mSv. The mean lung cancer relative risk (CPRR) from indoor
exposure was 1.026. There is a need to raise awareness among the population of
the city of Kaya on this issue and to take measures to reduce radon in homes
when the concentrations are above the limit recommended by the WHO.