Association between levels of radon and bioaerosols (bacteria and fungi) by living conditions

This study aimed to measure the levels of airborne radon (Rn) and bioaerosols—culturable airborne bacteria (CAB) and culturable airborne fungi (CAF)—in South Korea’s residential environments, considering living conditions such as the number of ventilations, number of windows, floors, temperature, and relative humidity. These levels were evaluated for 32 houses of residents from the socially vulnerable class. Rn gas and bioaerosols were sampled twice: in fall and summer. A self-report survey gathered residents’ information on their general characteristics (daily residence time, heating and cooking type, cleaning and washing cycle, etc.) and health condition scores (0–100 points) on the day of sampling. The range of Rn levels was 0.43–7.439 pCi/L with a median of 0.70 pCi/L. The CAB levels were 239–488 colony-forming unit (CFU)/m 3 with a median of 309 CFU/m 3 , and CAF levels were 174–366 CFU/m 3 with a median of 233 CFU/m 3 . Thus, this study found that semi-basement residential indoor environments negatively affected Rn and bioaerosol levels, and living in such residences resulted in high health condition scores.