![]() ![]() Epidemiological studies of miners who worked in these uranium mines revealed that they were more likely to die of lung cancer than the general population. Since the era of the “cold war” in the 1940s, when the “uranium rush” led to the supply of feed material for nuclear weapons production, many uranium mines have been developed all over the world, especially in Germany, Czech Republic, Canada, and the United States of America. reported that high concentrations of radon in the air were detected at certain mines in Czechoslovakia, where there was a high incidence of lung cancer, which led to the hypothesis that radon exposure could cause lung cancer. 6 Friedrich Ernst Dorn, a German physicist discovered a radioactive substance that was emitted from radium in 1900, later named radon. In 1879, Harting and Hesse performed an autopsy on a miner who had died of mala metallorum and identified mala metallorum as lung cancer. In 1556, Georg Agricola, a German scientist and mineralogist described mala metallorum as a wasting disease of miners and recommended frequent ventilation and maintenance of respiratory protection during their work to prevent mala metallorum in his textbook on mining titled “De Re Metallica.” However, over the subsequent few hundred years, it remained unclear as to what mala metallorum was and what caused the disease. 5 In 1530, Paracelsus, a Swiss physician, named this lung disease “mala metallorum” in his book. ![]() In the sixteenth century, it was known that some miners in central Europe died in the primes of their life with pulmonary symptoms and rapidly progressing cachexia. HISTORY OF THE RECOGNITION OF THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF RADON EXPOSURE In this regard, this study will look at the health effects of radon exposure in humans. Since this news report, other reports of indiscriminate use of monazite in underwear, accessories, beauty masks, and building materials were released, which led to social concerns about the health effects of radon exposure. The problematic mattresses contained monazite, a substance that releases radon gas. In May 2018, there was a news report that radon gas is released from mattresses manufactured by a particular company in South Korea. However, a small amount of radon and its progeny may remain in the lungs, undergo radioactive decay, and emit alpha particles, leading to lung damage. Radon and its progeny can enter the human body when inhaled or swallowed. Each of these isotopes undergoes radioactive decay with the emission of alpha particles that change them into different elements, so-called radon progeny. Thoron has a physical half-life of 55.6 seconds that comes from decay of thorium. As the most abundant isotope of radon, radon-222 has a physical half-life of 3.823 days that comes from the decay of radium. Among them, radon-222 (radon) and radon-220 (thoron) are of practical significance. 1, 2, 3 There are about 40 known isotopes of radon, most of which have short half-lives in the microsecond to millisecond range and have little practical significance. As a naturally occurring radioactive material, radon is present everywhere in the air at various concentrations, and radon is estimated to contribute to approximately half of the average annual natural background radiation. Radon is a radioactive gas of natural origin that is formed as the decay product of uranium and thorium found in soil and rocks. Accordingly, this review article is intended to provide comprehensive scientific information regarding the health effects of radon exposure. ![]() ![]() However, recently in Korea, social interest and concern about radon exposure and its health effects have increased greatly due to mass media reports of high concentrations of radon being released from various close-to-life products, such as mattresses and beauty masks. Media reports have often dealt with radon exposure in relation to health problems, although public attention has been limited to a one-off period. However, it is unclear whether radon exposure causes diseases other than lung cancer. Through many epidemiological studies regarding occupational exposure among miners and residential exposure among the general population, radon has been scientifically proven to cause lung cancer, and radon exposure is the second most common cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. When inhaled, it damages the lungs during radioactive decay and affects the human body. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive material that is formed as the decay product of uranium and thorium, and is estimated to contribute to approximately half of the average annual natural background radiation. ![]()
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