The study on the residential radon concentration in the rooms in the areas of the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Natural radioactivity is still a topic addressed at the international level with multiple segments interspersed in the upward pace of technological and economic development at the local level. The intensity of concerns in the aspect of radioprotection starts from a series of factors that condition the level and doses of exposure of the population to sources of ionizing radiation, thus determining the medical, social, economic and demographic effects in the characteristic of a medico-social problem. Radon, through its contribution to the creation of the natural radioactive background, has a crucial role in the etiology of oncological diseases of broncho-pulmonary origin, leukemias and other pathologies. Long-term exposure to increased concentrations of radon and the association of other risk factors, such as tobacco consumption, causes the alteration of cellular metabolism processes, the damage of DNA and RNA nucleic acids, the formation of free radicals and the appearance of mutations that can constantly trigger lung cancer. The continuous monitoring of residential radon concentrations is a primary objective within the strategy to control and reduce the long-term negative effects of radon, being a main element of the action plan of the EURATOM Directive 59/2013.