[en] The ''5th conference on high levels of natural radiation and radon areas: radiation dose and health effects' held in Munich from the 4th to 7th September 2000, was a matter of particular importance for the federal Republic of germany due to the existence of areas with high background radiation in Germany. The most important concerns of the conference were the: definition and demarcation of areas and localities with increased levels of natural radiation - appraisal of the status of exposure due to natural and technologically enhanced sources of radiation by means of suitable measuring and evaluation procedures - investigation of the possible health effects among the population living in areas with increased levels of natural radiation - harmonisation of measures and regulations for the protection of human health and the environment and the development of legislative concepts. (orig.)

[en] Objectives: field measurement campaigns are used to estimate the distribution of domestic radon concentration levels. Such campaigns have been carried out in France since 1982 at the department level (a French administrative entity of about 5000 km²). The main objectives here were to identify radon-affected areas in France, to estimate the percentage of houses with levels above action levels, and to investigate factors affecting radon concentrations. The french limits at which remedial actions are recommended are 400 Bq/m³ for existing and 200 Bq/m³ for future dwellings. Methods: to ensure an homogeneous geographical distribution of the measurements, each department was divided up into grid squares of 36 to 49 km², depending on the size of the individual department. Volunteers were mainly recruited through contacts in local administrations. Indoor radon measurements were carried out using cellulose nitrate alpha track detectors (Kodak LR-115 film) over two-month periods. Each measurement was accompanied by a questionnaire designed to trace some of the factors that may influence indoor radon concentrations (type of dwelling, date of construction of the house, seasonal influences..) Results: Radon levels were measured throughout all of the departments in France. The 12641 measurements performed yielded for radon levels, an arithmetic mean of 90 Bq/m³, a geometric mean of 54 Bq/m³ and a median of 50 Bq/m³. High radon levels were found in Brittany, Limousin, Auvergne and in Corsica. In some of these regions, a case-control study has been undertaken in order to evaluate the lung cancer risk due to indoor radon exposure. Conclusion: when comparisons or extrapolations are to be made, factors affecting indoor radon concentrations (type of house, type of room, seasonal factors, ventilation..) must be taken into account and possible corrections for some of these variables should be made. These corrected results can be used in case-control studies in order to estimate the order of magnitude of indoor radon concentrations in houses for which no measurements have been made. (orig.)

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[en] Radon is used in the treatment of various diseases in the radon spas Badgastein and Bad Hofgastein in Austria, by applying different types of exposures to radon. Alongside radon inhalation therapy performed in the thermal gallery, exposure to radon and radon progeny during underwater thermal treatment (Best'sche Wanne) is one of the most common forms of radon therapy. For the purposes of this study, volunteers were exposed to radon-rich water following the same procedure as that applied to patients in water tubs, that is to say short-term exposure to elevated levels of radon. After the bathing phase, radon progeny (radon decay products, RnD) deposited on the skin were measured by means of alpha detectors. For the theoretical calculations, additional experiments performed on well-defined surfaces exposed in radon-rich water were carried out to overcome the inherent limitations of measurements performed on the skin, and to obtain information on the adsorption characteristics of different materials. The results show that the activity deposited on the given surface depends on the type of material exposed to RnD nuclides contained in water. Surface activities were measured on human skin, pig skin removed from the body, and copper and PVC surfaces. While the ratios for ²¹⁸Po, ²¹⁴Pb, and ²¹⁴Bi deposited on the different materials were equal and remained within the range for statistical uncertainty, the differences between the absolute values were significant. The degree of variation for total deposited RnD activity lay within a range of between 0.25 Bq/cm² for pig skin and 1 Bq/cm² for human skin. In terms of dosimetric considerations, the dose delivered to the skin by radon progeny seems to be much greater than the dose originating from Rn itself. (orig.)

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[en] New measuring methods performed using solid state detector systems can provide the means for cost-effective radon decay product metrology for the purposes of the investigation of radon problems in buildings. Accurate, low-cost spectrometric calibration in the measurement of decay products is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of such applications. For suitable source-detector geometries, practically all alpha absorption parameters for geometry and material used are known. In simple vacuum counting, the detection efficiency for a point source located on the detector axis can simply be calculated as the fractional subtended solid angle. Software has been developed, which extends the scope of this calculation method to include alpha energy absorption in the various parallel absorption layers comprised of filter and air and detector windows, producing, in this way, an energy efficiency spectrum from the few fundamental parameters for multiple nuclides. Slight uncertainties in the parameters can easily be ironed out by means of spectral shape matching. For the purposes of variable, source-specific calibration the nuclide efficiencies in the channels or spectral regions of interest, as well as the uncertainty ranges for the efficiencies, can likewise be determined by spectral shape matching, particularly in the case of the absence of good counting statistics. (orig.)

[en] Mineral waters, both as a source of water and as a natural resource of a region or country, are very important for many reasons. The human metabolism needs water each day, in quantities of not less than 2-3 I. Those who consume mineral water have extra sources of minerals in their diet, which are useful for protecting their organism. Each mineral water, as an individual natural resource, has a different content in minerals. Sometimes mineral water contains elements which are soluble but not useful, such as radionuclides or other elements. The results presented here provide the values for activity concentrations of radionuclides in the selected samples (different sources of mineral water, but all from the same location of Arandjelovac) and show that a source is valuable for use. Our investigations indicate that mineral water is, as an extra source of mineral intake in the human diet, a most useful supplement, especially during the summer months. (orig.)