Variability and inhomogeneity of radon progeny deposition patterns in human bronchial airways

摘要

The inherent variability of morphological and physiological lung parameters can cause significant statistical variations in the deposition patterns of inhaled radon progeny in the human lungs. From a dosimetric point of view, the two major sources of variability are (I) the statistical distribution of nuclides deposited among all airways in a given generation, caused by the biological variability of the lung structure, and (ii) the local distribution of nuclides deposited within a given airway bifurcation resulting from the inhomogeneity of flow patterns and associated deposition mechanisms.