IAEA Safety Guides vs. Actual Challenges for Design and Conduct of Indoor Radon Surveys
An analysis of the international radon regulatory framework identified actual challenges for the design and conduct of indoor radon surveys, though there is little discussion on this issue in the radon community. The main challenges hindering the development of radon regulation on an international s...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/3/253 |
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| author | Andrey Tsapalov Konstantin Kovler Sergey Kiselev Ilia Yarmoshenko Robert Bobkier Petr Miklyaev |
| author_facet | Andrey Tsapalov Konstantin Kovler Sergey Kiselev Ilia Yarmoshenko Robert Bobkier Petr Miklyaev |
| author_sort | Andrey Tsapalov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An analysis of the international radon regulatory framework identified actual challenges for the design and conduct of indoor radon surveys, though there is little discussion on this issue in the radon community. The main challenges hindering the development of radon regulation on an international scale, particularly in indoor radon surveys include the following: (i) responsibility for indoor radon testing and mitigation, (ii) excessive focus on Radon Priority Areas, (iii) the role of temporal uncertainty in indoor radon testing, (iv) the standardization of indoor radon measurements, and (v) the standardization of thoron EEC measurements and indoor testing. To address these gaps and inconsistencies, actual needs for design and conduct of indoor radon surveys are proposed, covering the aforementioned challenges. The needs statement, including a discussion of solutions, addresses the following key aspects of radon regulation: (1) legislation, (2) radon measurements, (3) awareness, and (4) building protection. The focus remains on the radon measurement aspect, detailing the strategy and tools for conducting indoor radon surveys within a rational approach. This includes the main research activities necessary for the sustainable development of global radon regulation. The final part of the article presents a Rational Method (protocol) of indoor radon measurements serving as a detailed guideline for standardizing indoor radon testing at the international level. This ensures the decision-making reliability of at least 95% and harmonizes relevant national approaches considering traditional measurement protocols using both short-term and long-term measurements. The proposed solutions aim to achieve the goal of a modern design and conduct of indoor radon surveys that are consistent with large-scale (mass) testing and effectively identify hazardous buildings. These solutions are based on a rational approach with convenient tools and active voluntary participation of the population to be implemented within the framework of national radon regulation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-95f3c8182b13465da9f7f48c032b8541 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj-art-95f3c8182b13465da9f7f48c032b85412025-08-20T03:43:21ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332025-02-0116325310.3390/atmos16030253IAEA Safety Guides vs. Actual Challenges for Design and Conduct of Indoor Radon SurveysAndrey Tsapalov0Konstantin Kovler1Sergey Kiselev2Ilia Yarmoshenko3Robert Bobkier4Petr Miklyaev5National Building Research Institute, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, IsraelFaculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, IsraelState Research Center, A. Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center of Federal Medical Biological Agency of Russia, Moscow 123182, RussiaInstitute of Industrial Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg 620219, RussiaAbraham & Ben Hadar Law and Audit, Poole BH15 1DX, UKSergeev Institute of Environmental Geoscience Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 101000, RussiaAn analysis of the international radon regulatory framework identified actual challenges for the design and conduct of indoor radon surveys, though there is little discussion on this issue in the radon community. The main challenges hindering the development of radon regulation on an international scale, particularly in indoor radon surveys include the following: (i) responsibility for indoor radon testing and mitigation, (ii) excessive focus on Radon Priority Areas, (iii) the role of temporal uncertainty in indoor radon testing, (iv) the standardization of indoor radon measurements, and (v) the standardization of thoron EEC measurements and indoor testing. To address these gaps and inconsistencies, actual needs for design and conduct of indoor radon surveys are proposed, covering the aforementioned challenges. The needs statement, including a discussion of solutions, addresses the following key aspects of radon regulation: (1) legislation, (2) radon measurements, (3) awareness, and (4) building protection. The focus remains on the radon measurement aspect, detailing the strategy and tools for conducting indoor radon surveys within a rational approach. This includes the main research activities necessary for the sustainable development of global radon regulation. The final part of the article presents a Rational Method (protocol) of indoor radon measurements serving as a detailed guideline for standardizing indoor radon testing at the international level. This ensures the decision-making reliability of at least 95% and harmonizes relevant national approaches considering traditional measurement protocols using both short-term and long-term measurements. The proposed solutions aim to achieve the goal of a modern design and conduct of indoor radon surveys that are consistent with large-scale (mass) testing and effectively identify hazardous buildings. These solutions are based on a rational approach with convenient tools and active voluntary participation of the population to be implemented within the framework of national radon regulation.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/3/253indoor radonthoronsurveysmetrologystandardizationmeasurement uncertainty |
| spellingShingle | Andrey Tsapalov Konstantin Kovler Sergey Kiselev Ilia Yarmoshenko Robert Bobkier Petr Miklyaev IAEA Safety Guides vs. Actual Challenges for Design and Conduct of Indoor Radon Surveys Atmosphere indoor radon thoron surveys metrology standardization measurement uncertainty |
| title | IAEA Safety Guides vs. Actual Challenges for Design and Conduct of Indoor Radon Surveys |
| title_full | IAEA Safety Guides vs. Actual Challenges for Design and Conduct of Indoor Radon Surveys |
| title_fullStr | IAEA Safety Guides vs. Actual Challenges for Design and Conduct of Indoor Radon Surveys |
| title_full_unstemmed | IAEA Safety Guides vs. Actual Challenges for Design and Conduct of Indoor Radon Surveys |
| title_short | IAEA Safety Guides vs. Actual Challenges for Design and Conduct of Indoor Radon Surveys |
| title_sort | iaea safety guides vs actual challenges for design and conduct of indoor radon surveys |
| topic | indoor radon thoron surveys metrology standardization measurement uncertainty |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/3/253 |
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