Natural sources of ionizing radiation and public exposure in the Republic of Moldova from associated irradiation risk

This article describes the importance of the public health issue regarding the exposure of the population of the Republic of Moldova to natural sources of ionizing radiation. The possible effects of exposure to natural sources of ionizing radiation, especially radon, which is omnipresent and which is responsible for - 48,3 % of all irradiation from natural sources. The permanent growth of pulmonary cancer cases among the population is an alarming sign for our society. This is why the main purpose of this article is to raise the awareness of the importance to know the concentration of radon in diverse environmental factors, such as: drinking water, soil and indoor air. For this it is necessary to continuously monitoring the concentration of radon, elaborate normative acts and adopt national and international standards regarding the protection of the population and the professionally exposed, which is a priority of imperative importance for the Republic of Moldova. (authors)