COVID-19 and the Additional Radiological Risk during the Lockdown Period in the Province of Naples City (South Italy)
The lockdown restrictions, as a first solution to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, have affected everyone’s life and habits, including the time spent at home. The latter factor has drawn attention to indoor air quality and the impact on human health, particularly for chemical pollutants....
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Life |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/2/246 |
| _version_ | 1827654200448778240 |
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| author | Giuseppe La Verde Valeria Artiola Marco La Commara Vittoria D’Avino Leopoldo Angrisani Giuseppe Sabatino Mariagabriella Pugliese |
| author_facet | Giuseppe La Verde Valeria Artiola Marco La Commara Vittoria D’Avino Leopoldo Angrisani Giuseppe Sabatino Mariagabriella Pugliese |
| author_sort | Giuseppe La Verde |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The lockdown restrictions, as a first solution to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, have affected everyone’s life and habits, including the time spent at home. The latter factor has drawn attention to indoor air quality and the impact on human health, particularly for chemical pollutants. This study investigated how the increasing time indoor influenced exposure to natural radioactive substances, such as radon gas. To calculate the radiological risk, we considered the most consolidated indices used for radiation protection: annual effective dose, excess lifetime cancer risk, and the lung cancer case. Furthermore, two different exposure times were considered: pre-lockdown and post-lockdown. The lockdown increased the indoor exposure time by 4% and, consequently, the radiological risk factors by 9%. Furthermore, the reference value of 300 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>, considered acceptable for human radiation protection, may need to be lowered further in the case of conditions similar to those of the lockdown period. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:35:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-12ee38f564b34f728305a39fe3c08e02 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:35:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-12ee38f564b34f728305a39fe3c08e022023-11-23T20:46:22ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292022-02-0112224610.3390/life12020246COVID-19 and the Additional Radiological Risk during the Lockdown Period in the Province of Naples City (South Italy)Giuseppe La Verde0Valeria Artiola1Marco La Commara2Vittoria D’Avino3Leopoldo Angrisani4Giuseppe Sabatino5Mariagabriella Pugliese6National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Via Cinthia ed. 6, 80126 Naples, ItalyCentre for Advanced Metrology and Technological Services (CeSMA), University of Naples Federico II, Corso Nicolangelo Protopisani, 80146 Naples, ItalyNational Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Via Cinthia ed. 6, 80126 Naples, ItalyNational Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Via Cinthia ed. 6, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio, 21, 80125 Naples, ItalyCentre for Advanced Metrology and Technological Services (CeSMA), University of Naples Federico II, Corso Nicolangelo Protopisani, 80146 Naples, ItalyNational Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Via Cinthia ed. 6, 80126 Naples, ItalyThe lockdown restrictions, as a first solution to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, have affected everyone’s life and habits, including the time spent at home. The latter factor has drawn attention to indoor air quality and the impact on human health, particularly for chemical pollutants. This study investigated how the increasing time indoor influenced exposure to natural radioactive substances, such as radon gas. To calculate the radiological risk, we considered the most consolidated indices used for radiation protection: annual effective dose, excess lifetime cancer risk, and the lung cancer case. Furthermore, two different exposure times were considered: pre-lockdown and post-lockdown. The lockdown increased the indoor exposure time by 4% and, consequently, the radiological risk factors by 9%. Furthermore, the reference value of 300 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>, considered acceptable for human radiation protection, may need to be lowered further in the case of conditions similar to those of the lockdown period.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/2/246COVID-19lockdownradonindoor air qualityradiological risk |
| spellingShingle | Giuseppe La Verde Valeria Artiola Marco La Commara Vittoria D’Avino Leopoldo Angrisani Giuseppe Sabatino Mariagabriella Pugliese COVID-19 and the Additional Radiological Risk during the Lockdown Period in the Province of Naples City (South Italy) Life COVID-19 lockdown radon indoor air quality radiological risk |
| title | COVID-19 and the Additional Radiological Risk during the Lockdown Period in the Province of Naples City (South Italy) |
| title_full | COVID-19 and the Additional Radiological Risk during the Lockdown Period in the Province of Naples City (South Italy) |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 and the Additional Radiological Risk during the Lockdown Period in the Province of Naples City (South Italy) |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 and the Additional Radiological Risk during the Lockdown Period in the Province of Naples City (South Italy) |
| title_short | COVID-19 and the Additional Radiological Risk during the Lockdown Period in the Province of Naples City (South Italy) |
| title_sort | covid 19 and the additional radiological risk during the lockdown period in the province of naples city south italy |
| topic | COVID-19 lockdown radon indoor air quality radiological risk |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/2/246 |
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