Establishing a regional reference indoor radon level on the basis of radon survey data

Abstract

The establishment of national reference levels is a new requirement of the ICRP radiological protection system. For protection against indoor radon exposure measures based on a common national reference level tend to be less effective in regions where the probability of high indoor radon concentrations is relatively low in comparison with the national average. Therefore it makes sense to establish individual indoor radon reference levels for large sub-national regions as well as for urban agglomerations separately. Analysis of indoor radon surveys of the territory, taking into account the type of building, year of construction, building material, floor and other factors influencing indoor radon concentration, provides essential and important data for defining the reference level. For Ekaterinburg, Russia it is suggested to set the reference indoor radon concentration to a level of 70 Bq m(-3) which corresponds to the 90th percentile of radon concentration in a representative group of buildings constructed in the period 1970-89, in which the lowest average indoor radon concentration was observed.

Reconstruction of national distribution of indoor radon concentration in Russia using results of regional indoor radon measurement programs

“…Reconstructed distribution can be used to discuss possible derived reference level of indoor radon concentration that can be introduced in Russia according to recent ICRP recommendations (ICRP, 2014). According to approach presented by Yarmoshenko et al (2013Yarmoshenko et al ( , 2014 to establish the national derived reference level some percentile of the national distribution of indoor radon concentration can be used. For example, reconstructed 95-th percentile of indoor radon concentration in Russia is about 160 Bq/m 3 and this level can be suggested as the optimized reference level of radon concentration.…”

Natural Background Radiation in Residential and Public Buildings Located in the Vicinity of Mining Operations in the Arctic

“…Rn-222 is present inside all buildings and is an unavoidable radiation exposure source, both in homes and workplaces. In some geographical points (underground mines, caves, tunnels, mineral water resorts, and faults in the Earth's crust) elevated radon concentrations can be observed [11,12]. As a result of mining operations, landscapes are damaged, leading to a technogenic increase in NBR.…”