Investigation and Health Status Analysis of Radon Exposure in Different Underground Nonuranium Mines: Effect of Mining Technology on Radon Release

Long-term exposure to high concentrations of radon has been identified as an important risk factor for lung cancer. The risk of radon exposure in nonuranium mines has been ignored for a long time because of insufficient protective measures and weak health awareness among practitioners. To understand the effects of radon exposure on human health in the microenvironments of underground nonuranium mines and to explore the effects of cumulative radon exposure on the health of miners. The National Occupational Radiation Sickness Surveillance Workbook (Survey of Miners with High Radon Exposure) and an expert consensus on low-dose spiral CT screening for lung cancer were used. A total of 62 miners were selected from underground nonuranium mines. Chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes, micronuclei in lymphocytes, and low-dose CT screening of lung cancer were used as observation indices. There are significant differences in the detection rates of Nodular shadows and Patches and cable strip shadows in miners between an iron ore mines, gold mines and miners in deep nonuranium mines.Combined with monitoring data from nonuranium mines in iron and gold mines, this study reveals that the occupational health status of workers in underground nonuranium mines is at risk of lung cancer caused by radon exposure, and improving mining technology to reduce the deposition of radon and its progeny is the key.