Borbála Máté1, Mária Horváth2, János Somlai1, László Kovács3,Tibor Kovács1

1Institute of Radiochemistry and Radioecology, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary

2Social Organization for Radioecological Cleanliness, Veszprém, Hungary 3Department of Allergy, Hospital of Tapolca, Tapolca, Hungary

Are there connection between radon concentration and therapeutical effect?

Introduction

Establish the same (unified) treatment protocol diff. radon conc environ

- Inhalatoric cave therapy (asthma, bronthitis)- high radon (tapolca hospital cave)- low radon (salt mine hosp. cave)

- Bath therapy (rheuma, arthitis)

- high radon (Eger hospital)- low radon (Flora bath)

The radon therapy is widespread used in the world.

Different parameters measured before and after the treatments

Physiological Parameters: FEV1, General Phys Condition tests and questionaries

Biological and Chemical parameters from Human Blood

Thyroid Gland: TSH, Ft3, Ft4

Hypophyzys: ACTH, -Endorphine, Prolactine

Adrenal Gland: DHEAS, Cortizole

General chemical parameters: Po-210

Environmental Parameters: Radon an progenies, aerosols, T, P etc

K Nagy, et al., Does balneotherapy with low radon concentration in water influence the endocrine system? A controlled non-randomized pilot study Radiat Environ Biophys 2009, 48, 311-315, K Nagy, et al., Study on endocrinology effects of radon speleotherapy on respiratory diseases Int J Radiat Biol, 2009. 85, 281-290. K Nagy, et al., Radon therapy and speleotherapy in Hungary, La Presse Thermale et Climatique, 145, (2008), 219-226. J. Somlai, et al., The Function of Radon in Curing Respiratory Diseases in the Therapeutic Cave of Tapolca J Radioanal Nucl Ch, 2007. 273, 363–370

References:

Introduction

The present examination is a part of a greater sequence of experiments, during which the effect of radon on the human body is examined.

• determination of 210Po isotope activity concentration in human blood before and after therapeutical treatment

• estimation of the absorbed dose

• the cave hospital in Tapolca has been used for the treatment of asthmatic patients for a long time

• mean yearly temperature: 13.9 °C, pressure: 1004 kPa, which are considered to be very stable.

• the average radon concentration:

in winter months ~ 1000 Bq/m3,

in summer months ~10 000 Bq/m3

Hospital Cave and Treatment

• Cave therapy:• 1-3 weeks • 3 hours • summer and winter months• male and female groups• 10 cm3 of blood sample was taken before and after

therapy

• 210Po-measurement (92 sample):• 209Po tracer• classical combined acidic leaching• semi-conductor PIPS detector (Eurisys 19 kev resolution)

alpha-spectrometer (Canberra 7401 alpha chamber, Silena 9302 multichannel analyser), EMCA 2000 software.

• measurement time: 240 000 s. • the detection limit– by 95% confidence level – was 0.034

mBq.

~ ~ 10 g/10 g/sample,sample,7777..4 mBq Po-4 mBq Po-209 tracer209 tracer

Combined classical Combined classical acidic leaching:acidic leaching:• 3x30 ml cc. HNO3x30 ml cc. HNO33

• 3x30 ml cc. HCl +3x30 ml cc. HCl + 2 drops of H2 drops of H22OO22

• 3x30 ml dist. water3x30 ml dist. water

Preparation of Preparation of stock solutionstock solution

Spontaneous deposition:Spontaneous deposition:• 50 ml stock sol.50 ml stock sol.• 00..1 g ascorbic acid1 g ascorbic acid• stainless steal with stainless steal with high Ni contenthigh Ni content• 80 °C80 °C• 3 hours3 hours

Semi-Semi-conductor conductor

(PIPS) detector (PIPS) detector alpha-alpha-

spectrometerspectrometer(80 000 sec)(80 000 sec)

209209PoPo 210210PoPo

During the calculation, we took into consideration that the α-particle generated during the decay of the 210Po isotope gives all of its energy to the blood tissue (based on LET calculation1).

D=E(α).K.C where• D: absorbed dose (J/kg)• E(α): particle energy (5.3.106 eV)• K: coefficient (1.6.10-19 J)• C: 210Po concentration (Bq/kg)

1 ICRU, „Liner Energy Transfer”, ICRU Report 16, Pergamon Press, Bethesda, MD, USA, 1970.

0

0,05

0,1

0,15

0,2

0,25

0,3

0,35

0,4

0,45M

1

M2

M3

M4

M5

M6

M7

M8

M9

M1

0

M11

M1

2

F1

F2

F3

F4

F5

F6

F7

F8

F9

F1

0

F11

F1

2

F1

3

F1

4

F1

5

210 P

o a

ct.

con

c. (

mB

q/g

)

Patient ID

before treatmentafter treatment

0

0,1

0,2

0,3

0,4

0,5

0,6

0,7

0,8

0,9

210 P

o a

ct.

con

c. (

mB

q/g

)

Patient ID

before treatmentafter treatment

0E+00

1E-13

2E-13

3E-13

4E-13

5E-13

6E-13

7E-13M

1

M4

M7

M1

0

M1

3

F1

F4

F7

F1

0

F1

3

F1

6

F1

9

M1

M4

M7

M1

0

F1

F4

F7

F1

0

F1

3

Ab

sorb

ed d

ose

(J/

kg)

Patient IDWinter Summer

• The results of the study show that the 210Po concentration increased in every case in the blood of patients cured in the Hospital cave of Tapolca.

• This effect was detectable even in the winter period when the radon concentrations are significantly lower in the cave air compare to the concentrations during the summer months.

• No significant difference was found between the male and female patient.

• The absorbed dose was minimal, varied between 4.24.10-16 and 5.85.10-13J/kg, the average was 1.38.10-13 J/kg in summer and 5.88.10-14 J/kg in winter.

210Po act. conc. (mBq/g)before

tr.after tr.

diff.

Malemean 0.11 0.29 0.18deviati

on0.06 0.24 0.22

Femalemean 0.08 0.22 0.15deviati

on0.06 0.14 0.13

Winter Summer