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RADON2019 will discuss the issue of exposure of population

Publication date: 
2019/09/13
In the Czech Republic, radon (natural radioactive gas; with chemical label Rn) accounts for 50 percent of the population's radiation from all sources of ionizing radiation and 70 percent from natural sources. The situation is similar in Switzerland and the countries of Northern Europe. Radiation caused by radon and its radioactive conversion products can, like smoking, cause lung cancer. The ratio of lung cancer caused by radon to cancer caused by smoking is approximately 1: 4. Due to such high numbers and negative health impact on the population, there is an extensive radon program in the Czech Republic, which primarily aims to disseminate information on radon issues to the general and professional public through free annual radon measurements in buildings. new constructions and interventions to reduce radon exposure in older buildings. All these are the topics of the international conference RADON2019, whose ninth year will begin on Monday 16 September at the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering CTU in Prague (FNSPE). The conference held under the auspices of the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB) with the Department of Dosimetry and Application of Ionizing Radiation FJFI (KDAIZ) is co-organized by the State Institute of Radiation Protection (SÚRO, v.v.i.).

Radon is a natural radioactive gas that cannot be seen or smelled and is present almost everywhere. However, at higher concentrations and with prolonged exposure, lung cancer may be of consequence. Radon is released from the bedrock and becomes part of the air that fills the pores in soil. It is released from the earth's surface into the atmosphere or enters buildings where it can accumulate in confined spaces. No safe radon concentration is determined. At radon concentrations above 300 Bq / m3, recovery measures (measures to reduce radon concentration) are recommended. The presence of radon in the building can only be determined by measurement, preferably long-term. This can also be obtained for free thanks to the Radon Program of the Czech Republic - Action Plan. If increased concentrations of radon are detected in the construction, they can be reduced by means of technical measures, the effectiveness of which has been verified many times in practice. Prevention of radon penetration from subsoil in newly constructed buildings is very important. Increased attention should also be paid to radon when replacing windows and thermal insulation of buildings, as they usually lead to an increase in radon concentration in such a reconstructed building. For details, see http://www.radonovyprogram.cz, which is operated by SÚJB.

After the RADON2019 International Conference on Radon Protection against the Negative Health Effects of Radon, a special issue of the Radiation Protection Dosimetry professional impacted journal will be published, containing the best contributions.  The main topics will be methods of radon and thoron measurement and metrologic aspects; radon in building construction; health effects of radon; radonometry and the use of radon as a source of information on processes in the Earth's crust; national programs and projects.
During the five conference days, dozens of speakers will be present at the conference. In addition to Czech experts, specialists from abroad will be attending, such as: Martha Palacios from the Swiss Federal Office of National Health, Bernd Hoffmann from the German Federal Radiation Protection Office, James Marsh from the English Public Health Organization or Ferid Shannoun from the United Nations scientific commision on effect of ionising radiation research (UNSCEAR).
 

A traditional part of the conference is also the international comparative measurement of instruments and detectors in the radon chamber of the State Institute of Radiation Protection.

The RADON2019 conference brings some results achieved within the research in the project Center of Advanced Applied Natural Sciences (CAAS) - CZ.02.1.01 / 0.0 / 0.0 / 16-019 / 0000778. CAAS is co-financed by the European Union.

 

Contact person: Jan Kadeřábek