ABSTRACT
This paper provides summary of the 8th Conference on Protection against Radon at Home and at Work and 13th Workshop on the Geological Aspects of Radon Risk Mapping held in September 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants, Radioactive/analysis , Air Pollution, Indoor/analysis , Environmental Exposure/analysis , Occupational Exposure/analysis , Radiation Monitoring/methods , Radon/analysis , Soil Pollutants, Radioactive/analysis , Czech Republic , Humans , Radiation Dosage , RiskABSTRACT
In more than 1500 schools and preschool facilities, long-term radon measurement was carried out in the last 3 y. The negative effect of thermal retrofitting on the resulting long-term radon averages is evident. In some of the facilities, low ventilation rates and correspondingly high radon levels were found, so it was recommended to change ventilation habits. However, some of the facilities had high radon levels due to its ingress from soil gas. Technical measures should be undertaken to reduce radon exposure in this case. The paper presents the long-term experiences with the two-stage measurement methodology for investigation of radon levels in school and preschool facilities and its possible improvements.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants, Radioactive/analysis , Air Pollution, Indoor/analysis , Background Radiation , Radiation Monitoring/methods , Radiometry/methods , Radon/analysis , Schools , Air Movements , Air Pollutants, Radioactive/standards , Czech Republic , Diffusion , Facility Design and Construction , Heating , Radiation Exposure , Schools/standards , Seasons , Soil Pollutants, Radioactive , VentilationABSTRACT
Due to the large number of subsidies for energy-saving reconstructions granted, and expecting a strong influence of reconstruction on the radon level in building, the long-term measurements of radon concentration are offered free of charge to kindergartens in the Czech Republic. Classrooms and playrooms where the radon levels exceeded the reference value for kindergartens, which is 400 Bq m(-3), are monitored continuously for at least a week to obtain the average activity concentration of radon when children are present. Some of the kindergartens were previously measured in the 1990s. These earlier measurements have provided an opportunity to compare the results. This paper presents some lessons learned from radon diagnosis carried out in particular cases and an analysis of the influence of reconstruction work on the radon level in the buildings.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants, Radioactive/analysis , Construction Materials/analysis , Radiation Monitoring/methods , Radon/analysis , Schools , Child, Preschool , Czech Republic , Humans , Reference ValuesABSTRACT
In this paper, repeated measurements of radon progeny concentration in dwellings in the Czech Republic are described. Two distinct data sets are available: one based on present measurements in 170 selected dwellings in the Central Bohemian Pluton with a primary measurement carried out in the 1990s and the other based on 1920 annual measurements in 960 single-family houses in the Czech Republic in 1992 and repeatedly in 1993. The analysis of variance model with random effects is applied to data to evaluate the variability of measurements. The calculated variability attributable to repeated measurements is compared with results from other countries. In epidemiological studies, ignoring the variability of measurements may lead to biased estimates of risk of lung cancer.
