Indoor radon concentrations were measured in dwellings of the Puglia region in Southern Italy using LR-115 passive detectors. The results show that the radon concentrations varied from 15 ± 2 to 2166 ± 133 Bq/m³ with a geometric mean of 114 Bq/m³ and a geometric standard deviation of 2.3. An analysis on the factors affecting radon concentration such as age of the dwellings, floors, and stories, was performed. The mean effective dose to inhabitants has been calculated and found to be 8.2 mSv/y. Finally, for estimation of cancer risks, the lifetime risk and lung cancer cases per years per million have been calculated.

In this study, the indoor radon concentrations have been measured in 93 dwellings of the Penisola Sorrentina, using LR115 detectors. The detectors were placed in the bedrooms and living rooms for two consecutive semesters starting from December 2010 to December 2011. The annual average indoor radon concentrations vary from 25 to 722 Bq m⁻³, with a mean value of 132±114 Bq m⁻³. Correlation between indoor radon measurements and same building characteristics was also studied. Based on the obtained results, the mean annual effective dose of 2.4 mSv y⁻¹ received by inhabitants was estimated.

An indoor radon survey has been carried out in 17 workplaces of sewerage system of Naples city using E-Perm detectors in long-term configuration. The main objective was to assess the mean effective dose for workers. The measured indoor radon concentration ranged from 1714 to 3789 Bq m⁻³ in the rooms located on second level underground, from 138 to 5772 Bq m⁻³ in the rooms on first level underground and from 53 to 913 Bq m⁻³ in the ground floor. The mean annual effective doses in the ground floor, first and second level underground were found to be 0.85 mSv, 0.29 mSv and 0.43 mSv, respectively. These values are less than the lower limit of International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommended action levels of 3–10 mSv y⁻¹.

The aim of the paper is to give information about radon concentration in air and in water of 16 thermal spas of the Isle Ischia to assess the corresponding mean effective dose for workers. Measurements of air radon concentration were carried out by means of Electret Passive Environmental Radon Monitor (E-PERM) devices in long-term configuration, while radon activity concentration in water was measured using the same detectors in short-term configuration. In each plant, several kinds of rooms of different uses (office, muddy room, massage room, relax room, aerosol, mud pit and medical treatment room) were selected. Results show a great variability among the measurements relative to the different kinds of rooms of the spas. In some cases, the dose received by workers was higher than 3 mSv/y, which is the effective dose limit for occupational exposure imposed by Italian legislation.

In this study, the indoor radon activity concentrations have been measured in the Neapolitan catacombs using LR115 detectors. The detectors were exposed for two quarters, one in the warm season and the other in the cold. This has allowed one to evaluate the seasonal variations of concentrations, while the diurnal variations were evaluated performing continuous measurements by a Radim 5 monitor. The authors found that radon concentrations were lower in winter than in summer. Based on their values, taking into consideration the working hours in the catacombs and the equilibrium factor of 0.4, the effective dose to workers was estimated.