Occupational exposure to radon for underground tourist routes in Poland: Doses to lung and the risk of developing lung cancer
Journal Title: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health - Year 2017, Vol 30, Issue 5
Abstract
Objectives: Radon concentrations for 31 Polish underground tourist routes were analyzed. The equivalent dose to the lung, the effective dose and the relative risk were calculated for employees of the analyzed routes on the grounds of information on radon concentrations, work time, etc. Material and Methods: The relative risk for lung cancers was calculated using the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) VI Committee model. Equivalent doses to the lungs of workers were determined using the coefficients calculated by the Kendall and Smith. The conversion coefficient proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the report No. 33 was used for estimating the effective doses. Results: In 13 routes, the effective dose was found to be above 1 mSv/year, and in 3 routes, it exceeded 6 mSv/year. For 5 routes, the equivalent dose to lungs was higher than 100 mSv/year, and in 1 case it was as high as 490 mSv/year. In 22.6% of underground workplaces the risk of developing lung cancer among employees was about 2 times higher than that for the general population, and for 1 tourist route it was about 5 times higher. The geometric mean of the relative risk of lung cancer for all workers of underground tourist routes was 1.73 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.6–1.87). Routes were divided into: caves, mines, post-military underground constructions and urban underground constructions. Conclusions: The difference between levels of the relative risk of developing lung cancer for all types of underground tourist routes was not found to be significant. If we include the professional group of the employees of underground tourist routes into the group of occupational exposure, the number of persons who are included in the Category A due to occupational exposure may increase by about 3/4. The professional group of the employees of underground tourist routes should be monitored for their exposure to radon. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(5):687–694
Authors and Affiliations
Katarzyna Walczak, Jerzy Olszewski, Piotr Politański, Marek Zmyślony
ALTERATION IN THE ACTIVITY OF OXIDATIVE ENZYMES IN THE TISSUES OF MALE WISTAR ALBINO RATS EXPOSED TO CADMIUM
[b]Objective:[/b] The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of cadmium (Cd) on the activities of some oxidative enzymes [viz Aldehyde oxidase, AO (E.C. 1.2.3.1); Xanthine oxidase, XO (E.C. 1.2.3.2)...
THE ROLE OF SCHOOL ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE IN OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN TEHRAN
[b]Objectives: [/b]This paper aims at studying the infl uence of the organizational climate of a school on the occupational stress of the teachers. [b]Material and [/b][b]Methods: [/b]The study population were all second...
Chemical incidents resulted in hazardous substances releases in the context of human health hazards
Objectives: The research purpose was to analyze data concerning chemical incidents in Poland collected in 1999–2009 in terms of health hazards. Material and Methods: The data was obtained, using multimodal information te...
Job autonomy in relation to work engagement and workaholism: Mediation of autonomous and controlled work motivation
Objectives: This study integrates the Self Determination Theory and the Job Demands–Resource model in explaining motivational antecedents of 2 forms of excessive work: work engagement and workaholism. It specifically exa...
Zinc exposure for female workers in a galvanizing plant in Northern Italy
Objectives: Very little is known regarding the toxicokinetics of inhaled zinc, in particular in the case of female workers and for modern, low exposure settings. Our aim is to evaluate the relationship of external zinc l...