Doses from radon and its decay products to children

This paper considers doses from radon and decay products when inhaled or ingested by one year old infants and by ten year old children. Doses from decay products deposited on skin are also discussed. For inhalation and ingestion, the general pattern of doses to organs is broadly similar to that in adults. Much the largest doses are received by the organ of intake (respiratory tract and stomach respectively). Otherwise, tissues with higher fat content tend to receive somewhat higher doses from radon gas than other tissues. Dose coefficients (dose per unit intake factors) for children are generally larger than those for adults. However, total annual doses are more similar across the age groups because of smaller intakes of air and water by children. Radon decay products deposited on skin may be able to induce skin cancer. However, the location of the sensitive cells is not known with certainty and they may lie too deep to receive significant dose. If they are irradiated, it is likely that doses to children would be larger than for adults. The radiological significance of doses to children is discussed.