Results of the first national indoor radon survey performed in Serbia

Abstract

The first step in every systematic approach to investigating population exposure to radon on a national level is to perform a comprehensive indoor radon survey. Based on general knowledge of the radon levels in Serbia and corresponding doses, the results obtained from a national indoor radon survey would allow policymakers to decide whether it is necessary to establish a national radon programme. For this reason, Serbia initiated work on a national radon action plan (RAP) in 2014 when it was decided to carry out the first national indoor radon survey. The responsibility for establishing the RAP in Serbia is that of the national regulatory body in the field of radiation protection—the Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate (SRBATOM), formerly known as the Serbian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency. The first national indoor radon survey was supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through a Technical Cooperation Programme. Thanks to the IAEA, we received 6000 passive radon devices based on track-etched detectors. In addition, in order to ensure technical support for the project, SRBATOM formed a task force made up of expert radon representatives from national research institutions. This paper presents a thorough description of the sampling design of the first Serbian indoor radon survey. It also presents the results of the national indoor radon survey, including descriptive statistics and testing of the distribution of the obtained results for log-normality. Based on GPS coordinates, indoor radon data were projected onto a map of 10 km × 10 km grid cells. Two values were calculated for each cell to create two distinct maps. One map shows the arithmetic mean value of indoor radon concentration per grid cell, and the other map shows the number of radon detectors per grid cell used for the calculation of mean values.

Radon Sources and Action Levels

“…In Serbia, the national reference level for indoor radon concentration for new buildings is 200 Bq/m 3 , for the existing buildings is 400 Bq/m 3 , while 1000 Bq/m 3 is the upper level recommended for workplaces. A new national radon survey has shown that in 3% of all measurements the level of 400 Bq/m 3 has been exceeded [27].…”

Route measurements of natural surface radiation background in the Almaty region

“…So, in the countries of the European Union, the concept of "geogenic radon potential" is key in assessing the potential radon hazard of territories [6][7][8][9]. At the same time, in different countries, the concept is based on various factors: in Serbia -the content of natural radionuclide in the soil [10], in Norway -the correlation between indoor radon and geology [11], in Switzerland -the dose rate of gamma radiation, geology, lines faults, permeability of the upper soil layer [12].…”