Moshupya, and five co-authors, reported in 2019 that radon gas has long been identified as a human carcinogen, [primarily associated with those who smoke and inhale tobacco fumes from burning cigarettes, cigars, vaping, etc. ] The purpose of this study was to understand the occurrence of radon gas in the West Rand region, located west of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, and to investigate its potential health effects. In this study, the sampling of rocks, tailings, and construction materials was carried out for geochemical analyses.
For characterization of radon, 60 radon monitors (RGMs) were installed in indoor and outdoor environments. The results showed that mine tailings contain high uranium levels, with a maximum of 149.76 ppm and a mean value of 48.87 ppm. The radon levels in the area ranged between 32 Bq/m3 and 1069 Bq/m3 and thus, exceed the typical outdoor radon levels of about 10 Bq/m3. Significantly high values were obtained from gold tailings dams. In indoor environments, radon concentration ranged up to a maximum of 174 Bq/m3, which is above the recommended value of 100 Bq/m3. The effective doses calculated from the obtained radon levels showed a maximum of 16 mSv/y, which is above the recommended value of 1 mSv/y proposed for public exposure. The estimated doses have an enormous potential to pose high lung cancer risks to the populations residing nearby tailings, [but have these data included the impact on those who smoke and inhale tobacco fumes from burning cigarettes, cigars, vaping, etc.?]
The results obtained in this study revealed that the abandoned gold and uranium mine tailings dams are responsible for elevated radon levels. This is also in agreement with the results from the geochemical analysis, whereby tailings dams contain a higher concentration of uranium than the rock samples. It was also observed that factors, such as the relative distance from tailings dams and wind effects, contribute a large influence on radon concentration and distribution in outdoor environments. It is evident that the atmospheric radon concentration is controlled by the interdependence of different parameters. Lung cancer deaths were found to be more common in the study area. Therefore, a detailed epidemiological study should be performed to link radon and lung cancer. The findings revealed that the radon prone areas were delineated in densely populated areas; as such, the effective management of mine waste materials is essential in the area and public awareness on radon exposure, [after allowing for those who smoke and inhale tobacco fumes from burning cigarettes, cigars, vaping, etc.?]
[Note: For over half a century, people in the U.S. suffering from a wide array of ailments flocked to decommissioned gold and uranium mines in Montana to soak up the "healing radiation" deep in the earth....? (more). Other potentially dangerous activities have also been documented (more)]
[For additional information on the occurrences of radon, see (here).]
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