Nuclear Seminar - Mohammad Alem Sultani (25.11.2026)

Wednesday 25.11.2026 at 14:00, Lecture room F1/364

02. 11. 2026 15.03 hod.
By: Jaroslav Staníček

Msc. Mohammad Alem Sultani, PhD.:
The Role of Aerosols and Air-Mass History in Outdoor Radon Progeny Variability

Abstract:
Radon progeny and particulate matter (PM) are recognised health hazards. Short-lived radon progeny attach to ambient aerosol particles, affecting their deposition in the respiratory tract and making these interactions relevant to inhalation exposure. This study examined the role of PM and air-mass history in outdoor radon progeny variability in Bratislava. Statistical and machine learning analyses of three years of continuous measurements identified PM as the strongest predictor among the local variables examined. Further, analysis of 72-hour air-mass back trajectories showed a significant positive association between air-mass travel distance and radon progeny activity concentrations. This relationship was less evident for radon gas. Including air-mass history increased the variance explained by models based on local variables by up to 3%, highlighting the additional contribution of atmospheric transport to outdoor radon progeny variability.