Effect of Smoking on the Level of Ionising Radiation in Student Rooms

Abstract

This descriptive study was designed to investigate whether there was a difference in the levels of ionising radiation in rooms where smoking was permitted and rooms where it was not permitted. The study was conducted in residential student rooms of a school of medicine. A total of 60h of measurement was conducted, measuring for 1 h in each room. Measurements were made with a “RAD-ALERT 50 Nuclear Radiation Monitor”. Although significant differences were found in the level of ambient ionising radiation between rooms where smoking was allowed and those where it was not allowed it was inconclusive whether this difference was due to cigarette smoking or was affected by other external factors. The increase in the radiation level was below that where there would be an effect on health.