Considerations on reduction of indoor air pollution from radioactive emissions from building materials and the ground

The goal of this paper is to study the reduction of health risks from indoor radioactive pollutants, as thoron emissions from common building materials, and radon emission from both building materials and the ground. In particular, when dealing with the indoor environment, one of the most important hazard is represented by radon gas, considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the second largest cause of lung cancer, cigarette smoke being the first. Such a radioactive gas belongs to the natural radioactive background of radiation, and its presence all over the world is unavoidable. Radon gas density varies due to microclimatic factors such as temperature, air pressure, humidity and changes in ground layers. Radon gas emerges from the ground and penetrates building basements, accumulating itself into the indoor air, and being breathed in by people. Taking care of the airtightness of windows allows the radon concentration to build up, in some cases beyond reference levels, together with other chemical pollutants, i.e. combustion residues and solvents. The EU Basic Safety Standards, stated in the Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom, based on the last recommendations from the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and from WHO, are focusing on risks related to radon gas concentration inside dwellings and working places. On considering that Council Directive 2013/59 Euratom has to be transposed into law by each EU Member State by February 2018, it is recommended that radon issues have to be considered during the design phase of the building construction. For NZEB applications a special attention is requested when energy consumption is reduced lower and lower by taking care of airtightness. In such a case, indoor pollutants (chemical, radioactive, particulate, etc.) can significantly accumulate beyond safe levels. This paper describes measurements and remedial actions of study cases, focusing on public and domestic environments

Correlating Pedestrian Flows and Search Engine Queries

An important challenge for ubiquitous computing is the development of techniques that can characterize a location vis-a-vis the richness and diversity of urban settings. In this paper we report our work on correlating urban pedestrian flows with Google search queries. Using longitudinal data we show pedestrian flows at particular locations can be correlated with the frequency of Google search terms that are semantically relevant to those locations. Our approach can identify relevant content, media, and advertisements for particular locations.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, 1 tabl

Air and noise pollution effects on air quality in peacock paint industry, Ikot Ekan, Etinan, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Eight sampling locations in the study area were assessed for some air pollutants, level of noise pollution and some meteorological parameters. Portable handheld air monitor was used to measure air pollutants, a sound level meter and anemometer for level of noise and meteorological parameters respectively. Results showed that the highest concentrations of Nitrogen dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, Hydrogen Sulphide and Suspended particulate matter were recorded in indoor II while those for Carbon monoxide and Chloride were recorded in outdoor I. The outdoor locations recorded higher mean noise level and temperature (76.1 dB (A), 30.05°C) than the indoor locations (70.95 dB (A), 27.03°C). On the other hand, the indoor locations recorded higher mean relative humidity (62.8%) than the outdoor locations (48.25%). Significant difference (P<0.05) was observed only in the mean concentration of Chloride in the two environments. The mean concentrations of NO2, SO2, H2S, CO and Cl2 were above the permissible limit of Federal Environmental Protection Agency thus posing environmental risks. Appropriate vehicle emission management should be considered; air and noise pollution control agencies should intervene to reduce the risks associate with these pollutants and improve the air quality of the study area

Radiation protection considerations on radon and building materials radioactivity in Near Zero Energy Buildings

Recent updates of the E.U. Basic Safety Standards, stated in the Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM, are focusing on risks related to radon gas concentration inside dwellings and working places, as well as radioactivity of building materials. In particular, the new E.U. Basic Safety Standards are based on last recommendations from the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), and from the World Health Organization (WHO), which consider that radon issues, and external irradiation from building material, as topic aspects to population’s health. Further, ICRP Publication 126, by using bio-kinetics models for estimating the effects of radon intakes, has drastically reduced the reference level for radon concentration in dwellings and working places. Radon issues have recently gained particular attention due to current orientations in constructing buildings with energy consumptions lower and lower. Radon gas emerges from the ground, penetrates building’s basements, and accumulates itself into the indoor air, being breathed by people. Taking care of windows’ airtightness allows the radon concentration to build up, in some cases beyond reference levels, together with other chemical pollutants, i.e. combustion residues and solvents. On considering that Council Directive 2013/59 EURATOM has to be transposed into law by each EU Member State by February 2018, it is recommended that radon issues have to be considered during the design phase of the building construction, particularly for NZEB applications. Further, external irradiation from building materials, i.e. tuff, marbles, tiles, pozzolana, coal ashes and so on, may be a reason of concern also. This paper describes radiation protection issues focusing on public and domestic environments, where people are supposed to spend a considerable amount of time. About radon, real measurements are shown, both in domestic and working scenarios. Dealing with external irradiation due to building materials, calculations and simulations have been performed and results are presented