Systematic indoor radon and gamma-ray measurements in Slovenian schools

During the winter months of 1992/93 and 1993/94, instantaneous indoor radon concentrations and gamma dose rates were measured in 890 schools in Slovenia attended in total by about 280,000 pupils. Under "closed conditions," the room to be surveyed was closed for more than 12 h prior to sampling, the air was sampled into alpha scintillation cells with a volume of 700 cm3, and alpha activity was measured. An arithmetic mean of 168 Bq m(-3) and a geometric mean of 82 Bq m(-3) were obtained. In 67% of schools, indoor radon concentrations were below 100 Bq m(-3), and in 8.7% (77 schools with about 16,000 pupils) they exceeded 400 Bq m(-3), which is the proposed Slovene action level. In the majority of cases, radon concentrations were high due to the geological characteristics of the ground. Approximately 70% of schools with high radon levels were found in the Karst region. Gamma dose rates were measured using a portable scintillation counter. An arithmetic mean of 102 nGy h(-1) and a geometric mean of 95 nGy h(-1) were obtained. No extraordinarily high values were recorded.     

Study of radon concentrations in oil refinery premises and city dwellings.

Radon and its progeny concentrations were measured in several dwellings at an oil refinery premises and these concentrations were compared with those found in dwellings in Mathura and Agra cities. Radon progeny concentrations were measured using LR-115 type II nuclear track etch detectors. The radon concentrations were estimated by using a value of 0.42 for the equilibrium factor. The geometric means (GM) of radon concentrations in the refinery dwellings, Mathura city and Agra city dwellings were 97, 91 and 75 Bq m(-3) with geometric standard deviations of 1.7, 1.8 and 1.8 respectively. The average lifetime risk of lung cancer for an adjusted annual average chronic radon exposure of 69 Bq m(-3) (7.8 mWL; WL = working level) with an occupancy factor of 0.7 comes out to be 5.4 x 10(-3).     

A nation-wide survey on indoor radon from 2007 to 2010 in Japan

In two previous nation-wide surveys in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Japanese indoor radon concentrations increased in homes built after the mid 1970s. In order to ascertain whether this trend continued, a nation-wide survey was conducted from 2007 to 2010. In total 3,900 houses were allocated to 47 prefectures by the Neyman allocation method and 3,461 radon measurements were performed (88.7% success). The fraction of reinforced concrete / concrete block buildings was 32.4%, similar to the value from national statistics. Arithmetic mean (standard deviation, SD) and geometric mean (geometric SD) of radon concentration after adjusting for seasonal fluctuation were 14.3 (14.7) and 10.8 (2.1) Bq/m(3). The corresponding population-weighted values were 13.7 (12.3) and 10.4 (2.0) Bq/m(3), respectively. It was estimated that only 0.1% of dwellings exceed 100 Bq/m(3), a new WHO reference level for indoor radon. Radon concentrations were highest in houses constructed in the mid 1980s and decreased thereafter. In conclusion, arithmetic mean indoor radon in the present survey was slightly lower than in previous surveys and significant reductions in indoor radon concentrations in both wooden and concrete houses can be attributed to alterations in Japanese housing styles in recent decades.     

我国锡矿山的辐射水平和放射卫生防护对策研究

目的 探索辐射水平在我国锡矿山的分布情况,在此基础上提出放射卫生防护的建议,为保护锡矿山井下工人身体健康提供科学依据。方法 分析、应用文献资料和现场调查的测量结果,得到了锡矿山井下工作场所的辐射水平。结果 锡矿山井下环境中γ辐射空气吸收剂量率绝大部份属于正常本底辐射水平。早期,锡矿山井下工作场所空气中氡浓度及氡子体α潜能浓度浓典型值分别为3.12 kBq/m³和5.61μJ/m³。目前,绝大多数锡矿山井下工作场所空气中氡浓度及氡子体α潜能浓度,分别低于1 000 Bq/m³和3.57μJ/m³。结论 锡矿山工作人员中凡个人年有效剂量大于1mSv或物料中天然铀比活度大于1 Bq/g的锡矿山均应进行放射卫生防护的审管。锡矿山井下工作场所空气中氡及氡子体α潜能浓度和井下环境中γ辐射空气吸收剂量率管理限值分别为1 000 Bq/m³、3.57μJ/m³和1μGy/h。锡矿山井下矿工个人剂量管理目标值定为10mSv/a。工作人员总的年有效剂量超过10 mSv时,工作人员应视为放射工作人员。     

Occupational doses from radon in Spanish spas

Recent international recommendations have included exposure to natural radiation as one of the sources to monitor in certain occupationally exposed groups. Among those mentioned are workers in thermal spas, who may be exposed to high radiation doses due to the high concentration of radon in the indoor air of the spa. This paper presents the methodology and the results of an evaluation of radiation doses to the staff in different thermal spas in Spain. Different series of samples were collected and measurements made for the radon concentrations in water in 54 spas and in air in 20 spas. In six of the latter group, the air radon concentration was studied in different working areas occupied by the employees. The radon concentrations in water were between <2 and 775 x 10(3) Bq m(-3). The radon concentrations in air were between <10 and 5,200 Bq m(-3). The latter were used to estimate the dose received by each occupational group in the spa by taking into account the radon concentration in their main working area. By means of an exposure-dose conversion factor of 1.43 Sv per J h m(-3), the estimated effective doses were found to lie between 1 and 44 mSv y(-1). This upper limit is higher than the recommended annual limit of 20 mSv y(-1) for an occupational dose.     

Population dose due to natural radiation in Hong Kong

In densely populated cities such as Hong Kong where people live and work in high-rise buildings that are all built with concrete, the indoor gamma dose rate and indoor radon concentration are not wide ranging. Indoor gamma dose rates (including cosmic rays) follow a normal distribution with an arithmetic mean of 0.22 +/- 0.04 microGy h(-1), whereas indoor radon concentrations follow a log-normal distribution with geometric means of 48 +/- 2 Bq m(-3) and 90 +/- 2 Bq m(-3) for the two main categories of buildings: residential and non-residential. Since different occupations result in different occupancy in different categories of buildings, the annual total dose [indoor and outdoor radon effective dose + indoor and outdoor gamma absorbed dose (including cosmic ray)] to the population in Hong Kong was estimated based on the number of people for each occupation; the occupancy of each occupation; indoor radon concentration distribution and indoor gamma dose rate distribution for each category of buildings; outdoor radon concentration and gamma dose rate; and indoor and outdoor cosmic ray dose rates. The result shows that the annual doses for every occupation follow a log-normal distribution. This is expected since the total dose is dominated by radon effective dose, which has a log-normal distribution. The annual dose to the population of Hong Kong is characterized by a log-normal distribution with a geometric mean of 2.4 mSv and a geometric standard deviation of 1.3 mSv.     

Validation of a geologically based radon risk map: are the indoor radon concentrations higher in high-risk areas?

Since geographically coded information is frequently used in studies of the relationships between environmental factors and illness at the population level and by authorities for promotion of mitigation, knowledge about the validity of proxy measures is essential. This study was an evaluation of a geologically based map describing the risk for high radon levels, which was used by the municipal authorities to determine the necessity of remedial actions. Annual mean radon gas concentrations for a random sample of one-family homes selected from high-risk areas (n = 252) were compared with those of a random sample of homes from normal and low-risk areas (n = 259). No difference in geometric mean radon concentration was found between the areas, 101 Bq m(-3) and 103 Bq m(-3), respectively. The proportion of homes in each area with radon gas concentrations above the current Swedish administrative limit value for mitigation (400 Bq m(-3)) was similar, approximately 10%. We conclude that the radon risk map was unsuitable for identifying areas of concern. The findings also indicate that geologically based and geographically coded information as a proxy for human exposures can be safely used for scientific and administrative purposes only following validation.     

Chromosome aberrations study of pupils in high radon level elementary school

The ICRP Publication 65 recommends 200-600 Bq x m(-3) as the indoor radon action level for the general public. In Slovenia, a value of 400 Bq x m(-3) has been proposed but not yet approved. In a nation-wide radon project financed by the Health Inspectorate of Slovenia, it was discovered that the elementary school named "S3" belongs to a group of schools with elevated winter indoor radon concentrations up to 7,000 Bq x m(-3). Opening windows and doors during classes substantially decreased radon concentrations, but very seldom below 1,000 Bq x m(-3). Yearly effective doses for pupils, estimated according to ICRP 65, ranged from 7 to 11 mSv. Because the pupils have been subjected to the elevated radon concentrations, special preventive health checks have been performed. The examination protocol included mutagenetic tests, one for structural chromosomal aberrations and the other a micronucleus test. Altogether 85 pupils (37 girls and 48 boys) from the first four grades between the ages of 9 and 12 y were examined. An increase in cytogenetic damage was found for these pupils, compared to the control group, composed of pupils of the same age from another area with indoor radon concentrations in their school of below 400 Bq x m(-3). The incidence of structural chromosomal aberrations reached 2.0% (0.5-4) and micronucleus test was 6.52 per 500 cells with a maximum of 15 in some cases. In the control group structural chromosomal aberrations varied from 0.5 to 2.5%, while the maximum incidence of micronucleus was 9 micronucleus per 500 CB cells. The results obtained are preliminary and suggest a need to expand the study. A long-term radon survey, at least over a year, of the homes and wider residential environment of the pupils would be necessary to assess the correlation between radon exposure and both structural chromosomal aberrations and micronucleus findings.     

Exposure to particulates,microorganisms, beta(1-3)-glucans,and endotoxins during soybean harvesting

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is an emerging fungal pathogen affecting soybeans in the United States. In response to its emergence, exposures to particulates, bioaerosols, endotoxins, S. sclerotiorum, and beta(1-3)-glucans were characterized during soybean harvesting. Air sampling was performed on soybean harvesters (combines) and on the farmers in closed cabs as personal samples during harvesting at 17 farms in 1997 and repeated at 15 in 1998. S. sclerotiorum infestation was evident in the fields at 8 of the sites (44%). The geometric mean concentrations (and geometric standard deviations) measured on the combines in 1998 were as follows: total dust, 11.9 (2.8) mg/m(3); inhalable dust 11.7 (6.4) mg/m(3); and beta(1-3)-glucans, 5027 (7) ng/m(3). Values for the personal samples in 1998 were as follows: total dust, 1.2 (6.7) mg/m(3); inhalable dust, 1.1 (5.3); and beta(1-3)-glucans, 674 (9) ng/m(3). These concentrations were two- to threefold higher than in the previous year. Ambient endotoxin concentrations were 4438 EU/m(3) in Year I and 459 EU/m(3) in Year II. Particle size distribution measurements on the combines yielded mass median aerodynamic diameters of 6.6 microm on the combine and 4.0 microm inside the combine cab. Closed combine cabs provided an average workplace protection factor of 11.7 for total dust. Nevertheless, personal exposures to organisms inside combine cabins ranged from 3.6 x 10(4) to 4.0 x 10(8) organisms/m(3). These data indicate the potential exists for high exposures to organic dust and bioaerosols during soybean harvesting.     

Nationwide survey of radon levels in Korea

A nationwide radon survey was conducted to provide data on the annual average indoor radon concentration in Korean homes. This survey also provided data on the variation of radon concentration with season, house type, and building age. The arithmetic mean (AM) of annual radon concentration in Korean homes was 53.4 +/- 57.5 Bq m(-3). The indoor radon concentration showed a lognormal distribution with a geometric mean (GM) and its standard deviation (GSD) of 43.3 +/- 1.8 Bq m(-3). The radon concentrations in the traditional Korean-style houses were about two times higher than those in apartments and row houses. The average annual outdoor radon concentration was 23.3 Bq m(-3). The average annual effective dose to the general public from radon was 1.63 mSv y(-1).     

Residential radon and lung cancer among never-smokers in Sweden.

In this study, we attempted to reduce existing uncertainty about the relative risk of lung cancer from residential radon exposure among never-smokers. Comprehensive measurements of domestic radon were performed for 258 never-smoking lung cancer cases and 487 never-smoking controls from five Swedish case-control studies. With additional never-smokers from a previous case-control study of lung cancer and residential radon exposure in Sweden, a total of 436 never-smoking lung cancer cases diagnosed in Sweden between 1980 and 1995 and 1,649 never-smoking controls were included. The relative risks (with 95% confidence intervals in parentheses) of lung cancer in relation to categories of time-weighted average domestic radon concentration during three decades, delimited by cutpoints at 50, 80, and 140 Bq m(-3), were 1.08 (0.8--1.5), 1.18 (0.9--1.6), and 1.44 (1.0--2.1), respectively, with average radon concentrations below 50 Bq m(-3) used as reference category and with adjustment for other risk factors. The data suggested that among never-smokers residential radon exposure may be more harmful for those exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Overall, an excess relative risk of 10% per 100 Bq m(-3) average radon concentration was estimated, which is similar to the summary effect estimate for all subjects in the main residential radon studies to date.     

Radon exposure of the skin: II. Estimation of the attributable risk for skin cancer incidence.

A preceding companion paper has reviewed the various factors which form the chain of assumptions that are necessary to support a suggested link between radon exposure and skin cancer in man. Overall, the balance of evidence was considered to be against a causal link between radon exposure and skin cancer. One factor against causality is evidence, particularly from animal studies, that some exposure of the hair follicles and/or the deeper dermis, as well as the inter-follicular epidermis, is required-beyond the range of naturally occurring alpha particles. On this basis any skin cancer risk due to radon progeny would be due only to beta and gamma components of equivalent dose, which are 10-100 times less than the alpha equivalent dose to the basal layer. Notwithstanding this conclusion against causality, calculations have been carried out of attributable risk (ATR, the proportion of cases occurring in the total population which can be explained by radon exposure) on the conservative basis that the target cells are, as is often assumed, in the basal layer of the epidermis. An excess relative risk figure is used which is based on variance weighting of the data sources. This is 2.5 times lower than the value generally used. A latent period of 20 years and an RBE of 10 are considered more justifiable than the often used values of 10 years and 20 respectively. These assumptions lead to an ATR of approximately 0.7% (0.5-5%) at the nominal UK indoor radon level of 20 Bq m(-3). The range reflects uncertainties in plate-out. Previous higher estimates by various authors have made more pessimistic assumptions. There are some indications that radon progeny plate-out may be elevated out of doors, particularly due to rainfall. Although average UK outdoor radon levels ( approximately 4 Bq m(-3)) are much less than average indoor levels, and outdoor residence time is on average about 10%, this might have the effect of increasing the ATR several-fold. This needs considerable further study. Ecological epidemiology data for the South West of England provide no evidence for elevated skin cancer risks at radon levels <100 Bq m(-3). Case-control or cohort studies would be necessary to address the issue authoritatively.     

The potential risk from 222radon posed to archaeologists and earth scientists: reconnaissance study of radon concentrations, excavations, and archaeological shelters in the Great Cave of Niah, Sarawak, Malaysia

This reconnaissance study of radon concentrations in the Great Cave of Niah in Sarawak shows that in relatively deep pits and trenches in surficial deposits largely covered by protective shelters with poor ventilation, excavators are working in a micro-environment in which radon concentrations at the ground surface can exceed those of the surrounding area by a factor of > x 2. Although radon concentrations in this famous cave are low by world standards (alpha track-etch results ranging from 100 to 3075 Bq m(-3)), they still may pose a health risk to both excavators (personal dosemeter readings varied from 0.368 to 0.857 mSv for 60 days of work) and cave occupants (1 yr exposure at 15 h per day with an average radon level of 608 Bq m(-3) giving a dose of 26.42 mSv). The data here presented also demonstrate that there is considerable local variation in radon levels in such environments as these.     

Case-control study on lung cancer and residential radon in western Germany

In a 1990-1996 case-control study in western Germany, the authors investigated lung cancer risk due to exposure to residential radon. Confirmed lung cancer cases from hospitals and a random sample of community controls were interviewed by trained interviewers regarding different risk factors. For 1 year, alpha track detectors were placed in dwellings to measure radon gas concentrations. The evaluation included 1,449 cases and 2,297 controls recruited from the entire study area and a subsample of 365 cases and 595 controls from radon-prone areas of the basic study region. Rate ratios were estimated by using conditional logistic regression adjusted for smoking and for asbestos exposure. In the entire study area, no rate ratios different from 1.0 were found; in the radon-prone areas, the adjusted rate ratios for exposure in the present dwelling were 1.59 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08, 2.27), 1.93 (95% CI: 1.19, 3.13), and 1.93 (95% CI: 0.99, 3.77) for 50-80, 80-140, and >140 Bq/m3, respectively, compared with 0-50 Bq/m3. The excess rate ratio for an increase of 100 Bq/m3 was 0.13 (-0.12 to 0.46). An analysis based on cumulative exposure produced similar results. The results provide additional evidence that residential radon is a risk factor for lung cancer, although a risk was detected in radon-prone areas only, not in the entire study area.     

Residential radon and risk of lung cancer in Eastern Germany

BACKGROUND: There is suggestive evidence that residential radon increases lung cancer risk. To elucidate this association further, we conducted a case-control study in Thuringia and Saxony in Eastern Germany during 1990-1997. METHODS: Histologically confirmed lung cancer patients from hospitals and a random sample of population controls matched on age, sex and geographical area were personally interviewed with respect to residential history, smoking, and other risk factors. One-year radon measurements were performed in houses occupied during the 5-35 years prior to the interview. The final analysis included a total of 1,192 cases and 1,640 controls. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by logistic regression. RESULTS: Measurements covered on average 72% of the exposure time window, with mean radon concentrations of 76 Bq/m3 among the cases and 74 Bq/m3 among the controls. The smoking- and asbestos-adjusted ORs for categories of radon (50-80, 80-140 and >140 Bq/m*3, compared with 0-50 Bq/m3) were 0.95 (CI = 0.77 to 1.18), 1.13 (CI = 0.86 to1.50) and 1.30 (CI = 0.88 to 1.93). The excess relative risk per 100 Bq/m? was 0.08 (CI = -0.03 to 0.20) for all subjects and 0.09 (CI = -0.06 to 0.27) for subjects with complete measurements for all 30 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate a small increase in lung cancer risk as a result of residential radon that is consistent with the findings of previous indoor radon and miner studies.     

Anomalously high radon concentrations in dwellings located on permeable glacial sediments.

Indoor radon concentrations were measured in different seasons in 104 dwellings located on a highly permeable ice-marginal moraine in Kinsarvik, Western Norway. The measurements revealed the highest indoor radon levels ever detected in Norway and extreme variations in seasonal and short-term indoor radon levels. Annual average indoor radon concentrations up to 56 000 Bq m(-3) and a mean value of 4340 Bq m(-3) for the whole residential area are reported. By using the ICRP conversion factors to effective dose, these indoor radon values correspond to a total annual effective dose of 930 mSv and 72 mSv, respectively. By using the conversion as recommended by UNSCEAR, the effective doses would be about 50% higher. The indoor radon concentrations are found to be strongly influenced by thermally induced flows of radon-bearing soil air directed towards the upper part of the ice-marginal deposit in winter and towards the area of lowest elevation in summer. The pattern of seasonal variations observed suggests that in areas where thermal convection may occur, annual average indoor radon levels should be derived from measurements performed both in summer and in winter.     

Residential randon exposure and lung cancer risk in Misasa, Japan: a case-control study

In order to investigate an association between residential radon exposure and risk of lung cancer, a case-control study was conducted in Misasa Town, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The case series consisted of 28 people who had died of lung cancer in the years 1976-96 and 36 controls chosen randomly from the residents in 1976, matched by sex and year of birth. Individual residential radon concentrations were measured for 1 year with alpha track detectors. The average radon concentration was 46 Bq/m3 for cases and 51 Bq/m3 for controls. Compared to the level of 24 or less Bq/m3, the adjusted odds ratios of lung cancer associated with radon levels of 25-49, 50-99 and 100 or more Bq/m3, were 1.13 (95% confidence interval; 0.29-4.40), 1.23 (0.16-9.39) and 0.25 (0.03-2.33), respectively. None of the estimates showed statistical significance, due to small sample size. When the subjects were limited to only include residents of more than 30 years, the estimates did not change substantially. This study did not find that the risk pattern of lung cancer, possibly associated with residential radon exposure, in Misasa Town differed from patterns observed in other countries.     

Comparison of air sampling methods for aerosolized spores of B. anthracis Sterne

Bacillus anthracis Sterne spores were aerosolized within a chamber at concentrations ranging from 1 x 103 to 1.7 x 10? spores per cubic meter of air (particles (p)/m3) to compare three different sampling methods: Andersen samplers, gelatin filters, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane filters. Three samples of each type were collected during each of 19 chamber runs. Chamber concentration was determined by an aerodynamic particle sizer (APS) for the size range of 1.114-1.596 μm. Runs were categorized (low, medium, and high) based on tertiles of the APS estimated air concentrations. Measured air concentrations and recovery efficiency [ratio of the measured (colony forming units (CFU)/m3) to the APS estimated (particles/m3) air concentrations] for the sampling methods were compared using mixed-effects regression models. Limits of detection for each method were estimated based on estimated recovery efficiencies. Mean APS estimated air concentrations were 1600 particles/m3, 4100 particles/m3, and 9100 particles/m3 at the low, medium, and high tertiles, respectively; coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 25 to 40%. Statistically significant differences were not observed among the three sampling methods. At the high and medium tertiles, estimated correlations of measured air concentration (CFU/m3) among samples collected from the same run of the same type were high (0.73 to 0.93). Among samples collected from the same run but of different types, correlations were moderate to high (0.45 to 0.85); however, correlations were somewhat lower at the low tertile (-0.31 to 0.75). Estimated mean recovery efficiencies ranged from 0.22 to 0.25 CFU/particle with total CVs of approximately 84 to 97%. Estimated detection limits ranged from 35 to 39 particles/m3. These results will enable investigators to conduct environmental sampling, quantify contamination levels, and conduct risk assessments of B. anthracis.     

Arsenic drinking water exposure and urinary excretion among adults in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico

The objective of this study was to determine arsenic exposure via drinking water and to characterize urinary arsenic excretion among adults in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2001 to May 2002. Study subjects were from the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico, residents of four towns with different arsenic concentrations in their drinking water. Arsenic exposure was estimated through water intake over 24 h. Arsenic excretion was assessed in the first morning void urine. Total arsenic concentrations and their species arsenate (As V), arsenite (As III), monomethyl arsenic (MMA), and dimethyl arsenic (DMA) were determined by HPLC/ICP-MS. The town of Esperanza with the highest arsenic concentration in water had the highest daily mean intake of arsenic through drinking water, the mean value was 65.5 microg/day. Positive correlation between total arsenic intake by drinking water/day and the total arsenic concentration in urine (r = 0.50, P < 0.001) was found. Arsenic excreted in urine ranged from 18.9 to 93.8 microg/L. The people from Esperanza had the highest geometric mean value of arsenic in urine, 65.1 microg/L, and it was statistically significantly different from those of the other towns (P < 0.005). DMA was the major arsenic species in urine (47.7-67.1%), followed by inorganic arsenic (16.4-25.4%), and MMA (7.5-15%). In comparison with other reports the DMA and MMA distribution was low, 47.7-55.6% and 7.5-9.7%, respectively, in the urine from the Yaqui Valley population (except the town of Cocorit). The difference in the proportion of urinary arsenic metabolites in those towns may be due to genetic polymorphisms in the As methylating enzymes of these populations.     

Radon: characteristics in air and dose conversion factors

The dose conversion factor (DCF) which gives the relationship between effective dose and potential alpha energy concentration of inhaled short-lived radon decay products is calculated with a dosimetric approach. The calculations are based on a lung dose model with a structure that is related to the new recommended ICRP respiratory tract model. The characteristics of the radon decay products concerning the unattached fraction and the activity size distribution of the radon decay products are important input quantities for the calculation of DCF. Experimental data about these parameters obtained from measurements in homes, at working places, and in the free atmosphere at ground level in the last past years are summarized. Taking into account the measured aerosol characteristics the DCF fractions of the unattached (DCFu) and aerosol-attached (DCFae) radon decay products for different places were calculated. Variation of DCF for different places were caused dominantly by the variation of DCFu of the unattached radon clusters (0.3-32 mSv WLM(-1)). Nose inhalation drastically reduced (about a factor 4) the dose contribution by the unattached cluster. The dose fraction by the radon decay product aerosol (DCFae) varies between 4-10 mSv WLM(-1). Taking into account a relative sensitivity distribution between bronchial, bronchiolar and alveolar regions of the thoracic lung with 0.80:0.15:0.05 and nose breathing the DCF of most of the working places (inhalation rate: 1.2 m3 h(-1)) vary between 5.7-6.7 mSv WLM(-1) depending on the number concentration of the aerosol particles. The DCF-value of 4.2 mSv WLM(-1) for the general public in dwellings with higher aerosol concentration (>4 x 10(4) particles cm(-3)) has about the same value as recommended by ICRP 65 (1994b). Significantly higher are the DCF-values for "normal" aerosol conditions indoors (5 x 10(3)-4 x 10(4) particles cm(-3)) and in the open air (7.3 mSv WLM(-1) and 9.7 mSv WLM(-1)).