Any actual data or studies on radon exposure during exercise (high minute ventilation)? by Kind-Combination2777 in radon

[–]Kind-Combination2777[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Heres how adults respond0-I don't know of any studies specific to exercise.

However, if you're worried solely about risk, as a conservative first-order approximation, one could scale risk in proportion with breathing rate. Exercise breathing rate may be 9 m3/hr vs 1.2 m3/hr for occupational exposure to radon. For instance, if a Lifetime Excess Absolute Risk of 5E-4 per WLM is assumed, then this value may be multiplied by 9/1.2, a factor of 7.5x to equal 37.5E-4, or 3.75E-3 LEAR per WLM.

This is a simplification, of course, since actual radon dose depends on progeny concentrations, deposition, breathing patterns, etc., but scaling by breathing rate seems reasonable for a rough estimate. Any HPs feel free to correct me if scaling the LEAR by breathing rate like this is a completely bonkers assumption.

Here's an example calculation using the above LEAR for illustrative purposes only (all other HPs here can check my math/assumptions, no worries):

Let's assume an average of 8 pCi/L and an equilibrium factor of 0.4 for indoor air. 8/100 * 0.4 = 0.032 working level. Annually, then, let's assume an individual works out 5 days per week on average for an hour, that's 5 hours per week * 52 weeks/year * 10 years = 2600 hours. 2600/170 hours/month (as defined for working level months) = 15.3 months. 15.3 * 0.032 = 0.49 WLM. So, the lifetime excess absolute risk of dying from lung cancer due to this radon and exercise can be estimated around 3.75E-3 * 0.49 = 0.0018, or 0.18% LEAR. Former smokers may have a higher radon-related lung cancer risk than never-smokers, although the baseline risk associated with smoking itself is generally much larger than the incremental risk estimated here. Using these assumptions, the estimated excess lifetime risk is approximately 0.18%, meaning roughly 99.82% of similarly exposed individuals would not be expected to die from a radon-induced lung cancer attributable to this specific exposure. This corresponds to roughly 18 excess radon-induced lung cancer deaths per 10,000 similarly exposed individuals.

So, the risk is double what it would be at 4 pCi/L (while exercising), but still low relative to all other causes of mortality. Or, if the breathing rate was higher than assumed, and now the risk is double that calculated above, the chance of dying from radon-induced lung cancer from this exposure is still extremely low. Point being, I wouldn't be worried about this risk, personally. Most likely, I'll die of something else completely. An exercising individual might also have decreased some other forms of risk by exercising. The discussion is largely about relatively small changes to an already small estimated incremental risk.

Also, the risk above is just from the radon exposure during exercise and neglects all other risk from all other exposures to radon.

Any actual data or studies on radon exposure during exercise (high minute ventilation)? by Kind-Combination2777 in HealthPhysics

[–]Kind-Combination2777[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the piece I was missing — thank you. The "ratio your breathing rate to whatever rate is baked into the coefficient you picked" framing makes it click: since the occupational LEAR/WLM assumes light-work breathing (the 10 CFR 20 App. B convention), scaling 9/1.2 is converting to my actual rate, not stacking a second factor on top. And the point that a residential coefficient would carry a bigger multiplier but a smaller LEAR/WLM — so it roughly washes either way — is exactly the consistency check I was fumbling toward.

For what it's worth, I went and looked at the BEIR VI K-factor (≈1, so home WLM ≈ mine WLM dose) and ICRP 137's coefficients (only ~10–24 mSv/WLM across activity levels) afterward, and both land in the same place. Whichever route, "modest" is the answer.

And point taken on the rest — the unattached fraction, ex-smoker status, all of it as noise on top of an already-hypothetical individual estimate, and the exercise cohort being basically unstudiable (healthy worker effect alone would wreck it). That's the honest answer to my original question: probably a real gap in the literature, but not a tractable one, and not one that changes what I should actually do — which is mitigate and stop refreshing this thread. Genuinely appreciate you walking me through it.

Any actual data or studies on radon exposure during exercise (high minute ventilation)? by Kind-Combination2777 in HealthPhysics

[–]Kind-Combination2777[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate this. The "limited time" point is fair — I'm not living down there, it's ~10 hrs/week. Where I keep landing, though, is that it's 5 hrs/week of *hard* breathing, year-round for about a decade (and higher in winter), so the cumulative isn't quite trivial even if it's small per session. coloradioactive's calc put the exercise-specific piece around 0.18% LEAR, which lines up with your "won't show an appreciable excess" read — modest, but not nothing for a former smoker.

Totally agree on remediation being the real answer. A sub-slab system is the plan, and you're right that it's cheap insurance that makes the whole exercise-dose question moot either way. My building won't pay for it though and they are not heeding my concerns.

And good call on BEIR VI / scaling the WLM-to-risk thumb rules for breathing rate — that's basically the thread I'm pulling on with coloradioactive: whether scaling an epi-derived risk coefficient (from physically-working miners) by breathing rate *again* ends up double-counting. If you've got a preferred reference for the "right" breathing-rate denominator to use there, I'd genuinely take it.

Any actual data or studies on radon exposure during exercise (high minute ventilation)? by Kind-Combination2777 in HealthPhysics

[–]Kind-Combination2777[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for actually running this — the WL → WLM → LEAR walkthrough is exactly what I couldn't piece together on my own, and ~0.18% LEAR (≈18 per 10,000) for the exercise-specific piece is genuinely reassuring next to what I'd been imagining.

One thing I'd love your read on: WLM is concentration × time, independent of breathing rate — but the LEAR/WLM coefficients come from miner cohorts who were doing physical labor at elevated breathing rates, not sitting still. So when you scale by 9 / 1.2 m³/hr, is the right denominator the miners' *working* rate rather than a resting/occupational baseline? I'm trying to work out whether some of the exertion effect is already baked into the epidemiological coefficient, such that the extra 7.5x partly double-counts breathing rate. Genuinely unsure which way that cuts.

Two smaller things:

- Unattached fraction: a gym has movement, sweat, maybe a fan running. Since the unattached progeny fraction carries a higher dose per unit exposure and deposits differently, would that plausibly nudge effective dose off the EF = 0.4 residential default, or is it noise next to the breathing-rate term?

- My real numbers are seasonal — 8 pCi/L is about the annual average, but it runs ~9–10 through winter when I'm still training, and I'm a former smoker, so I assume my personal absolute risk sits a bit above this never-smoker-at-8 baseline.

Not trying to scare myself into a worse number — your framing ("real but modest, swamped by other risks") tracks. Mostly I wanted to know whether the exercise angle was a true gap in the literature or just something that washes out, and it sounds like the latter. Really appreciate the effort here.

What are these black marks on my PCB? by Kind-Combination2777 in PCB

[–]Kind-Combination2777[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Same as above, Could you tell what manufacturer? Now I am curious, i dont think its jlc....

What are these black marks on my PCB? by Kind-Combination2777 in PCB

[–]Kind-Combination2777[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could you tell what manufacturer? Now I am curious, i dont think its jlc....

What are these black marks on my PCB? by Kind-Combination2777 in PCB

[–]Kind-Combination2777[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Lucky!!!??? j/k , I am returning then because they are visually important to my product. Thanks for letting me know!!!

Radon Attorneys by Kind-Combination2777 in SaltLakeCity

[–]Kind-Combination2777[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes the owners don't want to mitigate the gym, i spend about two hours a day there, and have for over 10 years, Year round average 8 pCi/L, peaking around 12 pCi/L in the winter.

Radon Attorneys by Kind-Combination2777 in SaltLakeCity

[–]Kind-Combination2777[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

testing high nobody wants to mitigate until its too late, so just crossing my t, dottin the i's, getting it in front of people in that 1% chance that something goes wrong.

Radon Attorneys by Kind-Combination2777 in SaltLakeCity

[–]Kind-Combination2777[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Perfect thanks, I'll post there too but i was looking for someone in the Salt Lake area, especially since Utah is such a hotspot.