Проблема облучения радоном в зданиях повышенного класса энергоэффективности

The paper presents an overview of the international scientific and technical publications on a problem of radon accumulation in new energy efficient buildings and in houses reconstructed according to requirements of energy saving. Energy efficiency is an important requirement of the environmentally sustainable development. Housing and communal services have significant potential for energy saving. In Russia, the construction of highest energy efficiency classes buildings occurs at an accelerated rate and reached 75% of all multiapartment houses built in 2017. The applying of modern technologies that reduce heat loss is accompanied by a decrease in the air exchange rate, which leads to deterioration of indoor air quality, in particular, the accumulation of radon. In the international literature, there are examples of the several times growth of radon concentration after the reconstruction of the building, the average radon concentration in retrofitted buildings increased by 22–120%. In new houses built to meet energy saving requirements, there can also be a significant increase in radon concentration compared to low-energy efficiency classes houses. Excess of sanitary and hygienic norms was found in some countries, including Russia. Radon exposure of dwellers of energy-efficient buildings is largely determined by the living habits. Based on the review data, it can be assumed that the average level of Russian population exposure to radon can increase under conditions of intensive construction of energy-efficient buildings.В настоящей статье представлен обзор международной научно-технической литературы по проблеме накопления радона в новых энергоэффективных зданиях и в домах, реконструированных с учетом требований энергосбережения. Энергоэффективность является важным условием перехода к экологически устойчивому развитию. Значительным потенциалом энергосбережения обладает жилищно-коммунальное хозяйство. В России строительство зданий наивысших классов энергоэффективности происходит ускоренными темпами и достигло в 2017 г. 75% от общего числа сданных в эксплуатацию многоквартирных домов. Внедрение современных технологий, снижающих теплопотери, сопровождается снижением кратности воздухообмена, что приводит к ухудшению качества воздуха помещений, в частности – к накоплению радона. В международной литературе приводятся примеры роста объемной активности радона в несколько раз после реконструкции здания, средняя объемная активность радона в модернизированных зданиях повышалась на 22–120%. В новых домах, построенных с соблюдением требований к энергосбережению, также может происходить значительное увеличение объемной активности радона по сравнению с домами низкого класса энергоэффективности. В отдельных помещениях, в том числе в России, обнаружено превышение санитарно-гигиенических нормативов. Облучение радоном жильцов энергоэффективных зданий в значительной степени определяется режимом содержания помещения. На основе данных обзора можно предполагать, что в условиях интенсивного строительства энергоэффективных зданий в России средний уровень облучения населения радоном может повыситься

Combined analysis of onco-epidemiological studies of the relationship between lung cancer and indoor radon exposure

Objectives: Recent results of epidemiological and medical statistics studies of lung cancer and indoor radon in different regions of the world make a relevant new combined analysis of residential exposure health effects. In particular, new data were obtained by means of a meta-analysis of case-control studies as well as taking into account a confounding effect of human papillomavirus infection in studies of geographically aggregated data. Materials and methods: Two sources of epidemiological data are considered: (1) studies of ecological design and (2) case-control studies. Ecological studies included the analysis performed for the USA counties and Russian oblasts with adjusting for the main confounders. Data on the case-control studies were gained from the meta-analysis of 31 individual studies with a weighting of obtained odds ratios according to the quality of radon exposure reconstruction and size of the reference group. Estimations of lung cancer excess relative risk (ERR) associated with indoor radon exposure are combined. Results: Two types of epidemiological study design provided generally consistent EER estimations. The combined value of ERR due to radon exposure is 0.14 (90% CI: 0.10–0.18) per 100 Bq/m3 . Conclusion: Available geographically aggregated data in regions of Russia and the United States and the meta-analysis of case-control studies conducted in a large number of countries confirm the association of lung cancer with indoor radon exposure

Lung cancer mortality and radon exposure in Russia

The association between the lung cancer and indoor radon exposure in Russian population was investigated. The average indoor radon concentration for each region was estimated using the annual reports issued by the Saint-Petersburg Ramzaev Research Institute of Radiation Hygiene for the period 2008–2013. The average standardized lung cancer mortalities among males and females were estimated using the reports of the Moscow Hertzen Cancer Research Institute for the period 2008–2012. The relative risk (RR) was estimated as a ratio between the average mortality within seven exposure intervals and background mortality. The slope factors of linear dependence between the indoor radon exposure and lung cancer RR are 0.026 (−0.11÷0.17) and 0.83 (0.52–1.12) per radon concentration 100 Bq/m3 for males and females, respectively (with 90% confidence interval). The obtained results can be explained by the confounding effect of tobacco smoking. Significant excess risk of lung cancer in female population can be associated with radon exposure and low prevalence of smoking

Seasonal Variation of Radon Concentrations in Russian Residential High-Rise Buildings

Assessment of the annual radon concentration is often required in indoor radon surveys of territories and individual dwellings for comparison with reference levels, studying factors affecting radon accumulation in dwellings, assessment of exposure in epidemiological studies, etc. The indoor radon surveys were carried out in multistorey buildings in eight Russian cities using solid state nuclear track detectors with an exposure period of three months. For these surveys, the estimation of annual indoor radon concentration was required to compare radon levels in buildings of high- and low-energy-efficiency classes located in different cities. To develop approaches to seasonal normalization in high-rise buildings, long-term one-hour radon concentration series obtained applying radon-monitors in 20 flats were analyzed. The dependency of indoor radon concentration on the indoor–outdoor temperature difference was studied taking into account the known natural, technogenic and anthropogenic factors affecting radon levels. The developed model of seasonal variations in multistorey buildings includes winter, summer, and demi-season periods, which differ both in ventilation intensity and dependency of radon concentration on the temperature difference. The developed model allows to estimate annual radon concentration taking into account the actual distribution of outdoor temperatures during the exposure of the track detectors

A Landscape Study of Sediment Formation and Transport in the Urban Environment

Background: Sediment deposition in the urban environment affects aesthetic, economic, and other aspects of city life, and through re-suspension of dust, may pose serious risks to human health. Proper environmental management requires further understanding of natural and anthropogenic factors influencing the sedimentation processes in urbanized catchments. To fill the gaps in the knowledge about the relationship between the urban landscape and sedimentation, field landscape surveys were conducted in the residential areas of the Russian cities of Ekaterinburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, and Murmansk. Methods: In each city, six elementary urban residential landscapes were chosen in blocks of multi-story apartment buildings typical for Russian cities. The method of landscape survey involved delineating functional segments within the elementary landscapes and describing each segment according to the developed procedure during a field survey. Results: The complexity of sedimentation processes in the urban environment was demonstrated. The following main groups of factors have significant impacts on sediment formation and transport in residential areas in Russian cities: low adaptation of infrastructure to a high density of automobiles, poor municipal services, and bad urban environmental management in the course of construction and earthworks. Conclusion: A high sediment formation potential was found for a considerable portion of residential areas

A Landscape Study of Sediment Formation and Transport in the Urban Environment

Background: Sediment deposition in the urban environment affects aesthetic, economic, and other aspects of city life, and through re-suspension of dust, may pose serious risks to human health. Proper environmental management requires further understanding of natural and anthropogenic factors influencing the sedimentation processes in urbanized catchments. To fill the gaps in the knowledge about the relationship between the urban landscape and sedimentation, field landscape surveys were conducted in the residential areas of the Russian cities of Ekaterinburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, and Murmansk. Methods: In each city, six elementary urban residential landscapes were chosen in blocks of multi-story apartment buildings typical for Russian cities. The method of landscape survey involved delineating functional segments within the elementary landscapes and describing each segment according to the developed procedure during a field survey. Results: The complexity of sedimentation processes in the urban environment was demonstrated. The following main groups of factors have significant impacts on sediment formation and transport in residential areas in Russian cities: low adaptation of infrastructure to a high density of automobiles, poor municipal services, and bad urban environmental management in the course of construction and earthworks. Conclusion: A high sediment formation potential was found for a considerable portion of residential areas

Strontium biokinetic model for mouse-like rodent

a b s t r a c t Model describing the biokinetics of strontium for murine rodent is suggested. The model represents modification of the ICRP model for reference human with reduced number of compartments: Blood, Gastrointestinal tract, Soft tissues, Skeleton, Urinary bladder. To estimate transfer rates of the model the published experimental data on strontium retention in body of laboratory and wild mice were analyzed. A set of eleven transfer rates suggested for the strontium biokinetic model for murine rodent satisfactorily describes both the laboratory experiments (relative standard error of 9.5%) and data on radiostrontium content available for wild animals. Application of the model allows estimation of strontium distribution by organs and tissues both in the cases of acute and chronic exposure with assessment of strontium activity in organs with time since beginning of exposure. The developed strontium biokinetic model will be used for internal dose assessment for murine rodents inhabiting East-Ural Radioactive Trace, where 90 Sr intake is a significant source of contemporary internal exposure

Problem of radon exposure in energy-efficient buildings: a review

The paper presents an overview of the international scientific and technical publications on a problem of radon accumulation in new energy efficient buildings and in houses reconstructed according to requirements of energy saving. Energy efficiency is an important requirement of the environmentally sustainable development. Housing and communal services have significant potential for energy saving. In Russia, the construction of highest energy efficiency classes buildings occurs at an accelerated rate and reached 75% of all multiapartment houses built in 2017. The applying of modern technologies that reduce heat loss is accompanied by a decrease in the air exchange rate, which leads to deterioration of indoor air quality, in particular, the accumulation of radon. In the international literature, there are examples of the several times growth of radon concentration after the reconstruction of the building, the average radon concentration in retrofitted buildings increased by 22–120%. In new houses built to meet energy saving requirements, there can also be a significant increase in radon concentration compared to low-energy efficiency classes houses. Excess of sanitary and hygienic norms was found in some countries, including Russia. Radon exposure of dwellers of energy-efficient buildings is largely determined by the living habits. Based on the review data, it can be assumed that the average level of Russian population exposure to radon can increase under conditions of intensive construction of energy-efficient buildings

Surface stormwater runoff in the formation of contemporary urban surface deposited sediments

Surface runoff represents one of the major mechanism connecting sources, transport, deposition and storage of the particle matter in urban sediment cascade. The urban surface deposited sediment represents a medium for the transport and nonpoint source of pollution in cities. The study is aimed to characterize the role of surface stormwater runoff in accumulation of the contemporary surface deposited sediments in the urban environment taking to account the seasonal factor. The study was conducted on the example of residential area of Ekaterinburg, Russia. The role of the surface stormwater runoff in the formation of the urban surface deposited sediments was discussed. The snow and dirt mixture accumulates surface runoff and pollutants in it during the winter season in an urban area. A large supply of water accumulated in the snow cover during the cold period contributes to the formation of large volumes of snow-mud mixture during spring. The active snowmelt in the spring leads to the formation of snow-dirt sludge and transfer of the sedimentary material