A review of approaches to assessment of potential radon hazard of land plots

Abstract

According to Rosstat statistics, in recent years there has been a tendency in the Russian Federation to increase the intensity of construction, while both the number of buildings put into operation and their total area are increasing. The assessment of the potential radon hazard of land plots for construction provides the possibility of timely inclusion of the necessary protective (preventive) measures against radon in the design of buildings. This is a legal requirement in cases where the density of radon flux from the ground surface within the building area exceeds the established hygienic standards (action levels). The paper presents a review of Russian and foreign approaches to assessing the potential radon hazard of land plots conducted within the framework of engineering and environmental surveys. The current regulatory requirements to radiation safety indicators of land plots for construction of residential, public and industrial buildings and facilities in the Russian Federation are analyzed. The main drawbacks of the algorithm for determining the potential radon hazard of land plots, used in the current guidelines MU 2.6.1.2398-08 approved at the federal level more than 15 years ago, are described. Critical remarks (the unsuitability of the value of density of radon flux from the ground surface for designing radon protective and mitigation (remedial) measures, lack of consideration of seasonal variations of radon flux density, etc.) accumulated over the years as a result of practical application of these guidelines are presented. Benefits and drawbacks of foreign approaches to assessing the potential radon hazard of the territory based on the results of measurements of radon concentration in soil gas, as well as the very possibility of a transition in Russian regulations from the density of radon flux from the ground surface to the radon concentration in soil gas, are analyzed. Some rational proposals of various Russian research teams on improving the algorithm for determining the potential radon hazard of land plots are considered.