Radiation Environment and Medicine 2024 Vol.13, No.2 70–73

ReportReport of Preliminary Survey on Ambient Dose Rateand Particulate Matter in Catania, ItalyYuki Tamakuma1*, Masahiro Hosoda 2, 3 and Naofumi Akata 2, 321
Center f or Radiation Research and Education, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 852-8523, JapanHirosaki University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Honcho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564, Japan
3
Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Honcho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564, JapanReceived 1 April, 2024; revised 16 May, 2024; accepted 22 May, 2024

Human health effects due to several factors originating from volcanic activity have been observed
around volcanos. This report summarizes a preliminary survey of the ambient dose equivalent rateand PM2.5 and PM10 in Catania, Italy, where one of the most active volcanoes of Mt. Etna is located.
The ambient dose equivalent rate and indoor radon concentration were higher than those in othercountries, probably because of the volcanic rocks used as building materials. In contrast, theconcentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 during the survey were low, indicating that the air quality wasclean. Further detailed investigations will be conducted in the future.
Key words: environmental radiation, particulate matters, field survey

1. Introduction
Radon is a radioactive gas generated by the decayof radium in soil and rocks. Radon gas exhaled fromthe ground diffuses into the atmosphere or moves
into dwellings through cracks and slabs. Owing to its
relatively long half-life (~3.8 days), it easily accumulates inclosed spaces such as mines, caves, and dwellings without
ventilation systems. Exposure to radon and its progeny isa well-known secondary cause of lung cancer following
tobacco smoking1). On the other hand, radon gas is alsoutilized as a tracer for atmospheric dispersion and asa precursor of volcanic activities and earthquakes2-4).
According to previous reports, radon gas may be released
from magma due to gas pulses related to eruptive activity,*Yuki Tamakuma: Center for Radiation Research and Education, Nagasaki
University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 852-8523, JapanE-mail: tamakuma.yuki@nagasaki-u.ac.jp
https://doi.org/10.51083/radiatenvironmed.13.2_70
Copyright © 2024 by Hirosaki University. All rights reserved.

leading to observations of high radon concentration5).
There is a lot of active volcanoes across the world.
Especially in the central and southern parts of Italy, there
are several active volcanoes, such as Mt. Etna, Stromboli,and Vesuvius. Numerous investigations pertaining tovolcanic eruptions and seismic activities have been
undertaken in these regions5-7). In Mt. Etna, many volcanicactivities were observed every year, and volcanic ash wasreleased during the eruptions. After the release, ash isadvected to the southeast in most cases due to the winddirection8), where there are several cities and towns,
including Catania. Catania is located in the southeasternpart of Sicilia Island (Fig. 1), with a population of 1,074,434
as of 1st Jan, 20239). Residents living around Mt. Etna have
faced crises caused by lava outflows several times inthe past. Recently, the volcanic activity of Mt. Etna has
been constantly monitored 24 hours a day throughout ayear, and real-time data are available from the websiteof the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology(INGV) in Italy10). Real-time monitoring data are utilizedYuki Tamakuma et al. / Radiation Environment and Medicine 2024 Vol.13, No.2 70–73

71Fig. 1. Geographical locations of the main volcanoes in Italy.

for flight safety and to promote a better understandingof volcanic activity and its effects on residents. Volcanic
sulfur dioxide (SO2) and other parameters are also
monitored by the INGV, which causes environmental
changes11). The effects of volcanic ash on human healthhave been investigated and several studies have shown
the possibility of respiratory effects12). Boffetta et al. also
reported a geographic analysis of the incidence of thyroid
cancer on Mt. Etna13). There are many possible factors
influencing human health, and multidisciplinary researchon physical, chemical, biological, and medical aspects isnecessary to reveal comprehensive health effects.
In 2018, Hirosaki University established a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) with the University of Catania
for collaborative activities including an exchange program.
We have continued to discuss collaborative research on
the health effects on residents around Mt. Etna sincesigning the MoU. We eventually started collaborative
research in 2023 to provide a better understanding of
the health risks associated with volcanic activity and tocontribute to the development of effective strategies toprotect public health in volcano-prone areas, including
Japan, which is one of the most volcanic countries in theworld. A preliminary survey was conducted during a visit
to the University of Catania for a face-to-face meeting inMarch 2024. This report summarizes the results of thesurvey.

Fig. 2. Measurement sites of ambient dose equivalent rate andconcentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 around (a) Mt. Etna and (b) Catania.
Site B is not shown in Figure 2(b), as it is the same as site A.

2. Measurement of Ambient Dose Rate, Particulate
Matters and Radon Concentration
The ambient dose equivalent rate was measured using
a pocket survey meter (PDR-111; Aloka Co. Ltd., Japan)
at 14 sites in Catania and Mt. Etna, as shown in Figure
2. Concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 (particulate mattersmaller than 2.5 μm and 10 μm, respectively) were also
obtained by a portable particulate monitor (Series500,Aeroqual, US) at the same sites. For continuous

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Yuki Tamakuma et al. / Radiation Environment and Medicine 2024 Vol.13, No.2 70–73
Table 1. Ambient dose equivalent rate and concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 measured at Catania and Mt. Etna

＊Site ID

Site

Ambient doseequivalent rate＊(nSv h-1)

PM2.5(μg m-3)

PM10(μg m-3)

ABC
DEFGHIJKLMNHotel room
Entrance of hotel
University square
In front of Cathedral of SantʼAgataPacini garden
San Francesco dʼAssisi square
Castle Ursino
Ancient Greek-Roman Theatre of Catania
Dante Alighieri Square
Crociferi Street
Villa Bellini
Monti Rossi
House submerged in lava
Belvedere of Rifugio Sapienza

108±16103±1588±1388±1369±10107±16
68±10101±1552±898±1574±1179±1291±1469±101335443334341181316171629
14111120
1310317An uncertainty was calculated using a measurement accuracy of 15% according to the speciﬁcation.

Fig. 3. Obtained data by continuous measurement. (a) PM 2.5
concentration outside the hotel room on the 3rd floor and (b) radon
concentrations in the hotel room on the 2nd floor.

monitoring of PM2.5, a PM2.5 monitor (PS-2, SIBATA
Scientific Technology Ltd., Japan) was deployed outside
the window of the hotel room on the 3rd floor. The
calibration factor was 1.0 for both the pocket survey
meter and the PM2.5 monitor. Radon concentration wasmonitored using a portable radon monitor (AlphaE, Bertin
Technologies, France) in the hotel room on the 2nd floor.
The continuous measurement was conducted in the hotelroom as the hotel was a restored aristocratic building thatis similar to the building where local people in Catania are
still living or working.
The measured ambient dose equivalent rate andconcentrations of PM 2.5 and PM10 at each site aresummarized in Table 1. Figure 3 shows the concentrationsof PM2.5 and radon by the continuous measurements.
The ambient dose equivalent rate ranged from 52 to 108
nSv h-1 with an average of 85 nSv h-1. The average wasslightly higher than the dose rate observed in Japan,
which was approximately 62 nSv h-1 on average14, 15).
Note that the average ambient dose equivalent rate wascalculated by converting an average absorbed dose rate
in air using a conversion factor of 1.22416). In addition, amean radon concentration measured in the hotel room
was evaluated to be 210 Bq m-3 with a maximum value of
673 Bq m-3, which is much higher than the world meanindoor concentration (i.e., 40 Bq m-3)17). One reason could
be the difference in geological features. A lot of buildingsin Catania are composed of volcanic rocks produced
by eruptions of Mt. Etna which include relatively highradionuclide concentrations. The 226Ra concentration inrock samples from Mt. Etna was reported to be 61.8 Bq
kg-1, which is higher than the world average value forearth materials (i.e., 40 Bq kg-1), resulting in a high dose
rate and radon concentration5, 17). According to a previous
report18), radon concentration at schools and dwellings
ranged from 11 to 634 Bq m-3, corresponding to our result.
The concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 measured at14 sites were in the ranges of 1- 5 μg m-3 and 8 - 29 μg m-3,respectively. The PM2.5 concentration by continuous
monitoring ranged from 0 to 18 μg m-3. A high concentration
above 10 μg m-3 was observed only four times duringcontinuous monitoring, probably due to exhaust emissions
from vehicles. Although the measured concentrations
included a large uncertainty in such a low concentration
range, it was found that the air quality was quite clean
from the obtained low concentration of PM2.5, comparedYuki Tamakuma et al. / Radiation Environment and Medicine 2024 Vol.13, No.2 70–73

with the global mean of 20.17 μg m-3 in 201519). It should
be noted that no eruption of Mt. Etna occurred during
the survey. Thus, monitoring should be conducted during
eruptions to release volcanic ash that produces PMs.
3. Summary
A preliminary survey of the ambient dose equivalent rateand concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 was conducted in
Catania, Italy, where one of the most active volcanoes, Mt.
Etna, is located as the first step of research to evaluate
the human health effects from many possible influential
factors originating from volcanoes. The mean ambient
dose equivalent rate and indoor radon concentration were85 nSv h-1 and 210 Bq m-3, respectively, which were higher
than those in other countries, probably because of thevolcanic rocks used for building materials. On the otherhand, the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 during thesurvey were lower than the global mean value, indicatingthat the air quality was clean at least during the period ofsurvey. For a more detailed analysis, a large-scale survey
will be carried out in cooperation with our collaborators.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Prof. Shinji Tokonamiand Dr. Yasutaka Omori of Institute of Radiation
Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University for sharing
their equipment for this research. This work was
supported by KAKENHI Grant Number 23KK0166.

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Author contributions
Conceptualization, M.H.; Methodology, Y.T., M.H., andN.A.; Formal analysis, Y.T., M.H., and N.A.; Investigation,Y.T., M.H., and N.A.; Data acquisition and interpretation,Y.T., M.H., and N.A.; Supervision, M.H.; Validation, Y.T.,
M.H., and N.A.; Writing-original draft, Y.T.; Writingreview and editing, Y.T., M.H., and N.A.
All authors have read and agreed to the published versionof the manuscript.
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