ABSTRACT
A new passive radon-thoron discriminative measurement system has been developed for monitoring radon and thoron individually. It consists of a 'couple' of passive integrating devices with a CR39 nuclear track detector (NTD). The experimental prototype is based on the application of a new concept of NTD instrument developed at ENEA, named Alpha-PREM, acronym of piston radon exposure meter, which allows controlling the detector exposure with a patented sampling technique (Int. Eu. Pat. and US Pat.). The 'twin diffusion chambers system' was based on two A-PREM devices consisting of the standard device, named NTD-Rn, and a modified version, named NTD-Rn/Tn, which was set up to improve thoron sampling efficiency of the diffusion chamber, without changing the geometry and the start/stop function of the NTD-Rn device. Coupling devices fitted on each device allowed getting a system, which works as a double-chamber structure when deployed at the monitoring position. In this paper both technical and physical aspects are considered.
Subject(s)
Air Pollution, Indoor/analysis , Radiation Monitoring/instrumentation , Radiometry/instrumentation , Radon Daughters/analysis , Radon/analysis , Air Pollutants, Radioactive , Environmental Exposure , Equipment Design , Gases , Housing , Humans , Radiometry/methods , RiskABSTRACT
A prospective study of 1004 consecutive deliveries was carried out to investigate the effect of passive smoking during pregnancy on a set of perinatal parameters. The data set was a cooperative study involving 11 Italian cities, distributed nationally. The study group was divided in three categories according to the mother's cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy, ie, not smokers, passive smokers, direct smokers. Potential confounders, including paternal characteristics, were adjusted for by multiple linear regression analysis. A mean reduction of 16 g (p less than 0.07) in birthweight and a decrease in birth length of 0.05 cm (p less than 0.08) were found for each hour of antenatal passive smoke exposure. No or slight effects were reported for the other perinatal parameters considered.
Subject(s)
Pregnancy/physiology , Tobacco Smoke Pollution/adverse effects , Environmental Exposure , Female , Humans , Infant, Low Birth Weight , Infant, Newborn , Italy , Prospective Studies , Smoking/adverse effects , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
In 10 years 26,945 newborns were born in 4 different hospitals in Liguria. The incidence rates of 26 specific malformations are reported. The regional data are related to those of the Italian Multicentric Monitoring System for Birth Defects.
