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Radon and its decay products in indoor air
1953
Book Reviews Radon and its Decay Products in Indoor Air editedby W. W. Nazaroff and A. V. Nero. Jr. J. Wilev & Sons., 1988. 5 18a. ., $75.00 (ISBN 0471-62810-7). FROMTHE NUMEROUSpapers which have appeared during the last 15 years it has become obvious that radon and its decay products naturally present in the air, and especially in indoor air, are the main source of radiation to which populations are exposed. Alpha activity of radon inhaled to a human respiratory tract creates a risk of lung cancer. In certain regions of the world (Canada, Sweden, USA), due to the natural composition of the ground or to waste products present in the environment, the risk from the elevated radon concentration is highly increased. Also building materials rich in radium cause an increase of radon concentration in many buildings. Some people, due to their occupation, mainly miners, are exposed to extremely high radon concentrations. That is why the radon problem is no longer a point of interest for scientists only, but the public as well. During the last three decades a huge amount of research work has been done in the field of this complicated, interdisciplinary subject, but there are still many problems not fully understood and many controversies to solve. The volume under review makes a good attempt at summarizing present-day knowledge of the major aspects of the radon problem. Compared with many earlier works this book is more inclusive. The first part of the book is a general introduction and it also divides the subject into different aspects. This section, also general, gives enough details so that even a reader not very familiar with the
topic can get sufficient information to be able to deal with the further parts of the book. The core of the book is divided into four parts: “Sources and transport processes”, “Characteristics and behaviour of radon decay products”, “The basis for health concerns”, and “Controlling indoor exposures”. Each part contains a few chapters, written by different authors. Such a structure provides a guide both for readers interested in the problem as a whole and for those who undertake detailed studies in one field. A great advantage of the book is that it points out the doubts, controversies and problems to solve, both in the scientific understanding of the physics of the processes to which radon and its progenies are subjected, and in the matter of formulating a program to control the indoor radon problem. As in most multi-authored volumes there are some differences in treating the subject. In some cases, topics could have been treated more exhaustively. However, each chapter is followed by a whole list of references for individuals wishing to review data in more detail. I would recommend this book for everyone involved in the radon problem: i.e. physicists, health-physicists, and environmental scientists dealing with other indoor pollutants. Institute of Physics and Nuclear Techniques Academy of Mining and Metallurgy Cracow, Al. Mickiewicza 30, Poland Present address: Department Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Lidia Morawska
of Geology, McMaster
University,
Book Reviews Radon and its Decay Products in Indoor Air editedby W. W. Nazaroff and A. V. Nero. Jr. J. Wilev & Sons., 1988. 5 18a. ., $75.00 (ISBN 0471-62810-7). FROMTHE NUMEROUSpapers which have appeared during the last 15 years it has become obvious that radon and its decay products naturally present in the air, and especially in indoor air, are the main source of radiation to which populations are exposed. Alpha activity of radon inhaled to a human respiratory tract creates a risk of lung cancer. In certain regions of the world (Canada, Sweden, USA), due to the natural composition of the ground or to waste products present in the environment, the risk from the elevated radon concentration is highly increased. Also building materials rich in radium cause an increase of radon concentration in many buildings. Some people, due to their occupation, mainly miners, are exposed to extremely high radon concentrations. That is why the radon problem is no longer a point of interest for scientists only, but the public as well. During the last three decades a huge amount of research work has been done in the field of this complicated, interdisciplinary subject, but there are still many problems not fully understood and many controversies to solve. The volume under review makes a good attempt at summarizing present-day knowledge of the major aspects of the radon problem. Compared with many earlier works this book is more inclusive. The first part of the book is a general introduction and it also divides the subject into different aspects. This section, also general, gives enough details so that even a reader not very familiar with the
topic can get sufficient information to be able to deal with the further parts of the book. The core of the book is divided into four parts: “Sources and transport processes”, “Characteristics and behaviour of radon decay products”, “The basis for health concerns”, and “Controlling indoor exposures”. Each part contains a few chapters, written by different authors. Such a structure provides a guide both for readers interested in the problem as a whole and for those who undertake detailed studies in one field. A great advantage of the book is that it points out the doubts, controversies and problems to solve, both in the scientific understanding of the physics of the processes to which radon and its progenies are subjected, and in the matter of formulating a program to control the indoor radon problem. As in most multi-authored volumes there are some differences in treating the subject. In some cases, topics could have been treated more exhaustively. However, each chapter is followed by a whole list of references for individuals wishing to review data in more detail. I would recommend this book for everyone involved in the radon problem: i.e. physicists, health-physicists, and environmental scientists dealing with other indoor pollutants. Institute of Physics and Nuclear Techniques Academy of Mining and Metallurgy Cracow, Al. Mickiewicza 30, Poland Present address: Department Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Lidia Morawska
of Geology, McMaster
University,