Radiation Protection Dosimetry (2014), Vol. 160, No. 1–3, pp. 27 –29 Advance Access publication 8 April 2014
doi:10.1093/rpd/ncu113
RADON PROGRAM OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC K. Petrova´ and E. Pravdova´* State Office for Nuclear Safety, Senova´zˇne´ na´meˇstı´ 9, 110 00 Prague, Czech Republic *Corresponding author: [email protected]
INTRODUCTION Measuring and evaluating the concentration of radon in dwellings started in the Czech Republic in the early 1980s. Since 1991 protection against radon in dwellings has been implemented in Czech legislation. At present, radiation protection legislation is based on the Atomic Act (1) and on the Decree on Radiation Protection(2). The requirements regarding the radiation protection field are the same throughout the whole territory of the Czech Republic. The average radon concentration in dwellings in the Czech Republic is 120 Bq m23. The first Radon Program was launched in 2000 and it was supposed to be completed within the period of 10 y. Its aim was to find buildings with a high indoor radon concentration and to remediate them. In spite of all the positive results and the large amount of work performed, it was found that such a task could not be carried in the given time period. That is why the new Radon Program – Action Plan was prepared for the period of 2010–2019. It covers both prevention in new house construction and remediation in existing houses with a high indoor radon concentration. The Radon Program of the Czech Republic 2010– 2019 – Action Plan is based on Governmental Decision No. 594/2009 and is coordinated by the State Office for Nuclear Safety. It has been prepared in accordance with the legislation of the CR in the area of radiation protection and takes into consideration the draft of the EU BSS and other documents of the ICRP, UNSCEAR, IAEA and WHO. The implementation of the Action Plan is participated in by the State Office for Nuclear Safety along with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry for Regional Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry of Health. The structure of Action Plan is as follows: (1) Awareness strategy
(2) Radon prevention strategy (3) Strategy of controlling the existing exposure to radon (4) Expert scientific and technical support of the Action Plan task implementation
AWARENESS STRATEGY The specific problem of regulation regarding exposure to natural sources lies in interfering with the privacy of citizens. To attain successful regulation, it is necessary to achieve the active private interest of the general public in having healthy living conditions. In fact there is a big difference between the risk perception and the true extent of danger. Rare industrial accidents arouse fear among the general public much more than real everyday risks. The main goal of the Radon Program is to provide information and motivate people to take steps against the risks which they can influence with their own behaviour. Information about risks should be provided together with information about solutions to them in order to avoid unnecessary stress among the general public. There is no reason to make people fear living in their own homes or surroundings when accessible technologies are available. The main points of the awareness strategy are: † Easily accessible and easy to understand information † Adequate risk communication † Importance of the role of the professional public— designers, builders, construction administration † Collaboration with regional and local authorities † Personal help for every interested person Information for both the general public and professional public is published on the websites of the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SONS; www.sujb.cz) and of the Radon Program (www.radonovyprogram.cz), including an on-line advisory connection [email protected]. There are leaflets with instructions for
# The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected]
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Ondokuz Mayis University on November 6, 2014
The Radon Program of the Czech Republic 2010–2019 – Action Plan is based on Governmental Decision No. 594/2009 (Radon Program of the Czech Republic 2010–2019 – Action Plan, Government of the Czech Republic, Decision No. 594/ 2009, May 4 2009) and is coordinated by the State Office for Nuclear Safety. It covers both prevention in new house construction and intervention in existing houses with high indoor radon concentration. The Program is aimed at developing an effective public information system. It takes advantage of long-term experience and good scientific and technological background—staff, methods, standards and technologies.
K. PETROVA´ AND E. PRAVDOVA´
particular situations, e.g. measuring indoor radon concentration, new house construction, reconstruction of existing houses and house purchase. Information is provided through the media and in special publications. The manual for designers and implementers of remedial measures—‘RADON – construction context’— was issued in collaboration with the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University. Collaboration with schools and universities is under way. The SONS are looking in collaboration with sociology specialists for optimal ways of radon risk communication and information.
account new requirements for building properties as well as the current requirements for energy saving and passive houses. STRATEGY OF CONTROLLING THE EXISTING EXPOSURE TO RADON
RADON PREVENTION STRATEGY Prevention in new house construction is based on the determination of the radon index of the construction site. The radon index is a special indicator defined for radiation protection purposes only. Its values can be low –medium –high. The determination is based on the radon concentration in the subsoil air measurement and the gas permeability of soil evaluation, see Table 1. According to the Atomic Act whoever proposes the construction of a building with living quarters or other rooms for accommodation or applies for a permit for such construction must ensure the determination of the radon index of the construction site. There is a method of determination issued by the SONS. The determination can be performed only with a licence from the SONS. The preventive meaˇ SN sures must follow the Czech Technical Standard C 73 0601 ‘Protection of buildings against radon from the soil’. The aim of these measures is to ensure that the reference level for radon concentration in the designed and constructed buildings is not exceeded. At the same time, radon risk maps of the scale of 1:50 000 for the whole territory of the Czech Republic are available to the general public at the website of the Czech Geological Survey (www.geology.cz). It is not obligatory to check the efficiency of prevention for new house construction, but it is recommended to perform at least short-term measuring after the construction and before the regular use. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement. The Technical Standard must be revised and take into Table 1. Radon index determination. Radon index Low Medium High
Radon concentration in the subsoil air (kBq m23) cA , 30 30 cA , 100 cA 100 Low Soil permeability
cA , 20 20 cA , 70 cA 70 Medium
cA , 10 10 cA , 30 cA 30 High
28
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Ondokuz Mayis University on November 6, 2014
Reference levels for indoor radon concentration and gamma dose rate in designed and constructed buildings are of 200 Bq m23, resp. 0.5 mSv h21, in existing buildings 400 Bq m23, resp. 1 mSv h21. According to the Atomic Act the owner of a building with living quarters or other rooms for the accommodation of people, where the level of exposure to natural radionuclides in the indoor atmosphere exceeds the reference levels and this exposure may be reduced by remedial measures resulting in a reduction to the detriment to health which is sufficient to substantiate damage and the costs associated therewith, shall make an effort to reduce this exposure to a level reasonably achievable, taking into account the given economic and social circumstances. In the past, searching for buildings with a high radon concentration was preferred. The detectors available for free informative measuring were distributed via regional and local authorities with a financial subsidy of the state. Since the 1990s measurements of indoor radon concentration have been taken in more than 176 000 buildings. Nearly 29 000 dwellings were found with an indoor radon concentration over 400 Bq m23 and 6000 dwellings with an indoor radon concentration over 1000 Bq m23. Remedial measures have been performed in only about 5000 of these. That is the reason the active distribution of detectors was stopped. In this period of the program, the possibility of the free informative long-term (minimum 2 months) measuring of the indoor radon concentration has been maintained. The etched track detectors are now available for everyone who asks for them. One expects that these people are interested in the indoor air quality in their dwellings and they will also probably be interested in remediation, if needed. The detectors are available either directly from the SONS, the National Radiation Protection Institute, or via other bodies, e.g. building and regional authorities. At the same time commercial firms with special licences issued by the SONS are ready to take shortterm (1 week) measurements. According to the estimation, in the Czech Republic there is 2 % of the whole number of dwellings, where the radon concentration is higher than 400 Bq m23 (76 000 flats, 200 000 citizens) and 0.2 % of dwellings with a radon concentration over 1000 Bq m23. There is the possibility of a state financial subsidy for dwellings finished before 1991 where indoor radon concentration exceeds 1000 Bq m23, for buildings for the long-term stay of children and youths (e.g. schools, kindergartens, cre`ches) where radon
RADON PROGRAM OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC
The resulting decrease in the amount of radon-induced lung cancer can be expected only after some decades. There are closer and more pragmatic goals. The SONS want the general public to understand that radon is one of the existing, known and manageable risks in everyday life, and that everyone is responsible for the indoor air quality in their own home. Radon should become a standard part of the everyday work of designers and building professionals. On the basis of experience the SONS as the authority body believe this to be the most effective way forward. The advantage of the Czech Republic lies in long-term experience and good scientific and technological background—staff, methods, standards and technologies. The authors expect that the interest and activity of the general public and knowledge of professionals will gradually increase and correspond to the work performed within the Radon Program. This is the important criterion of its effectiveness.
EXPERT SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT OF THE ACTION PLAN TASK IMPLEMENTATION In connection with the performance of the Action Plan tasks and in order to achieve all of its objectives, it is necessary to also deal with some of the special themes described below. The results of individual projects may contribute to the quality of the Action Plan accomplishment and to improve the level of knowledge in this field. †
† † †
FUNDING The Radon Program of the Czech Republic is the government program and it is paid from the state budget only.
Collecting data about indoor radon concentration, about trends of this type of exposure, associated health risks, prevention and mitigation efficiency and its evaluation Development of measuring and diagnostic methods for assessment of natural radiation in buildings Development of new technologies of anti-radon measures and their evaluation Development and processing of map sources for risk assessment of the geological subsoil, updating and detailing of the prognosis map of the radon risk in the territory of the CR
REFERENCES 1. Act No. 18/1997 Coll., (Atomic Act) as amended, on Peaceful Utilization of Nuclear Energy and Ionizing Radiation. 2. Decree of the SONS No. 307/2002 Coll., on Radiation Protection, as amended. 3. Decree of the SONS No. 462/2005 Coll., on distribution and collection of detectors intended for identification of buildings with an increased level of exposure to natural radionuclides and on conditions for acquiring a state budget subsidy. 4. Decree of the Ministry of Finance No. 461/2005 Coll., on procedure for providing a state budget subsidy for decreasing the exposure to radon indoors and radionuclides in drinking water. 5. Methodical guide of the Ministry of Finance No. MF- 28 491/2013/12-1204 on implementing Decree No. 461/2005 Coll.
CONCLUSION Protecting the general public against exposure to indoor radon is a long term, in fact never-ending task.
29
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Ondokuz Mayis University on November 6, 2014
concentration exceeds 400 Bq m23 and for other buildings used for health and social services (e.g. hospitals, retirement homes) with a radon concentration over 1000 Bq m23. The state financial subsidy is paid only after the efficiency of the implemented remedial measures has been proved by taking measurements. The maximum sum payable for one flat is EUR 6000, for other buildings EUR 60 000(3 – 5). Recently high radon concentrations were found in some kindergartens where they were not detected in past. It indicates that the attention paid to indoor air quality during reconstruction is insufficient although it is well known that thermo insulation and exchanging windows can significantly influence indoor air quality. That is the reason why we started blanket radon screening in kindergartens and schools again.
doi:10.1093/rpd/ncu113
RADON PROGRAM OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC K. Petrova´ and E. Pravdova´* State Office for Nuclear Safety, Senova´zˇne´ na´meˇstı´ 9, 110 00 Prague, Czech Republic *Corresponding author: [email protected]
INTRODUCTION Measuring and evaluating the concentration of radon in dwellings started in the Czech Republic in the early 1980s. Since 1991 protection against radon in dwellings has been implemented in Czech legislation. At present, radiation protection legislation is based on the Atomic Act (1) and on the Decree on Radiation Protection(2). The requirements regarding the radiation protection field are the same throughout the whole territory of the Czech Republic. The average radon concentration in dwellings in the Czech Republic is 120 Bq m23. The first Radon Program was launched in 2000 and it was supposed to be completed within the period of 10 y. Its aim was to find buildings with a high indoor radon concentration and to remediate them. In spite of all the positive results and the large amount of work performed, it was found that such a task could not be carried in the given time period. That is why the new Radon Program – Action Plan was prepared for the period of 2010–2019. It covers both prevention in new house construction and remediation in existing houses with a high indoor radon concentration. The Radon Program of the Czech Republic 2010– 2019 – Action Plan is based on Governmental Decision No. 594/2009 and is coordinated by the State Office for Nuclear Safety. It has been prepared in accordance with the legislation of the CR in the area of radiation protection and takes into consideration the draft of the EU BSS and other documents of the ICRP, UNSCEAR, IAEA and WHO. The implementation of the Action Plan is participated in by the State Office for Nuclear Safety along with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry for Regional Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry of Health. The structure of Action Plan is as follows: (1) Awareness strategy
(2) Radon prevention strategy (3) Strategy of controlling the existing exposure to radon (4) Expert scientific and technical support of the Action Plan task implementation
AWARENESS STRATEGY The specific problem of regulation regarding exposure to natural sources lies in interfering with the privacy of citizens. To attain successful regulation, it is necessary to achieve the active private interest of the general public in having healthy living conditions. In fact there is a big difference between the risk perception and the true extent of danger. Rare industrial accidents arouse fear among the general public much more than real everyday risks. The main goal of the Radon Program is to provide information and motivate people to take steps against the risks which they can influence with their own behaviour. Information about risks should be provided together with information about solutions to them in order to avoid unnecessary stress among the general public. There is no reason to make people fear living in their own homes or surroundings when accessible technologies are available. The main points of the awareness strategy are: † Easily accessible and easy to understand information † Adequate risk communication † Importance of the role of the professional public— designers, builders, construction administration † Collaboration with regional and local authorities † Personal help for every interested person Information for both the general public and professional public is published on the websites of the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SONS; www.sujb.cz) and of the Radon Program (www.radonovyprogram.cz), including an on-line advisory connection [email protected]. There are leaflets with instructions for
# The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected]
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Ondokuz Mayis University on November 6, 2014
The Radon Program of the Czech Republic 2010–2019 – Action Plan is based on Governmental Decision No. 594/2009 (Radon Program of the Czech Republic 2010–2019 – Action Plan, Government of the Czech Republic, Decision No. 594/ 2009, May 4 2009) and is coordinated by the State Office for Nuclear Safety. It covers both prevention in new house construction and intervention in existing houses with high indoor radon concentration. The Program is aimed at developing an effective public information system. It takes advantage of long-term experience and good scientific and technological background—staff, methods, standards and technologies.
K. PETROVA´ AND E. PRAVDOVA´
particular situations, e.g. measuring indoor radon concentration, new house construction, reconstruction of existing houses and house purchase. Information is provided through the media and in special publications. The manual for designers and implementers of remedial measures—‘RADON – construction context’— was issued in collaboration with the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University. Collaboration with schools and universities is under way. The SONS are looking in collaboration with sociology specialists for optimal ways of radon risk communication and information.
account new requirements for building properties as well as the current requirements for energy saving and passive houses. STRATEGY OF CONTROLLING THE EXISTING EXPOSURE TO RADON
RADON PREVENTION STRATEGY Prevention in new house construction is based on the determination of the radon index of the construction site. The radon index is a special indicator defined for radiation protection purposes only. Its values can be low –medium –high. The determination is based on the radon concentration in the subsoil air measurement and the gas permeability of soil evaluation, see Table 1. According to the Atomic Act whoever proposes the construction of a building with living quarters or other rooms for accommodation or applies for a permit for such construction must ensure the determination of the radon index of the construction site. There is a method of determination issued by the SONS. The determination can be performed only with a licence from the SONS. The preventive meaˇ SN sures must follow the Czech Technical Standard C 73 0601 ‘Protection of buildings against radon from the soil’. The aim of these measures is to ensure that the reference level for radon concentration in the designed and constructed buildings is not exceeded. At the same time, radon risk maps of the scale of 1:50 000 for the whole territory of the Czech Republic are available to the general public at the website of the Czech Geological Survey (www.geology.cz). It is not obligatory to check the efficiency of prevention for new house construction, but it is recommended to perform at least short-term measuring after the construction and before the regular use. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement. The Technical Standard must be revised and take into Table 1. Radon index determination. Radon index Low Medium High
Radon concentration in the subsoil air (kBq m23) cA , 30 30 cA , 100 cA 100 Low Soil permeability
cA , 20 20 cA , 70 cA 70 Medium
cA , 10 10 cA , 30 cA 30 High
28
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Ondokuz Mayis University on November 6, 2014
Reference levels for indoor radon concentration and gamma dose rate in designed and constructed buildings are of 200 Bq m23, resp. 0.5 mSv h21, in existing buildings 400 Bq m23, resp. 1 mSv h21. According to the Atomic Act the owner of a building with living quarters or other rooms for the accommodation of people, where the level of exposure to natural radionuclides in the indoor atmosphere exceeds the reference levels and this exposure may be reduced by remedial measures resulting in a reduction to the detriment to health which is sufficient to substantiate damage and the costs associated therewith, shall make an effort to reduce this exposure to a level reasonably achievable, taking into account the given economic and social circumstances. In the past, searching for buildings with a high radon concentration was preferred. The detectors available for free informative measuring were distributed via regional and local authorities with a financial subsidy of the state. Since the 1990s measurements of indoor radon concentration have been taken in more than 176 000 buildings. Nearly 29 000 dwellings were found with an indoor radon concentration over 400 Bq m23 and 6000 dwellings with an indoor radon concentration over 1000 Bq m23. Remedial measures have been performed in only about 5000 of these. That is the reason the active distribution of detectors was stopped. In this period of the program, the possibility of the free informative long-term (minimum 2 months) measuring of the indoor radon concentration has been maintained. The etched track detectors are now available for everyone who asks for them. One expects that these people are interested in the indoor air quality in their dwellings and they will also probably be interested in remediation, if needed. The detectors are available either directly from the SONS, the National Radiation Protection Institute, or via other bodies, e.g. building and regional authorities. At the same time commercial firms with special licences issued by the SONS are ready to take shortterm (1 week) measurements. According to the estimation, in the Czech Republic there is 2 % of the whole number of dwellings, where the radon concentration is higher than 400 Bq m23 (76 000 flats, 200 000 citizens) and 0.2 % of dwellings with a radon concentration over 1000 Bq m23. There is the possibility of a state financial subsidy for dwellings finished before 1991 where indoor radon concentration exceeds 1000 Bq m23, for buildings for the long-term stay of children and youths (e.g. schools, kindergartens, cre`ches) where radon
RADON PROGRAM OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC
The resulting decrease in the amount of radon-induced lung cancer can be expected only after some decades. There are closer and more pragmatic goals. The SONS want the general public to understand that radon is one of the existing, known and manageable risks in everyday life, and that everyone is responsible for the indoor air quality in their own home. Radon should become a standard part of the everyday work of designers and building professionals. On the basis of experience the SONS as the authority body believe this to be the most effective way forward. The advantage of the Czech Republic lies in long-term experience and good scientific and technological background—staff, methods, standards and technologies. The authors expect that the interest and activity of the general public and knowledge of professionals will gradually increase and correspond to the work performed within the Radon Program. This is the important criterion of its effectiveness.
EXPERT SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT OF THE ACTION PLAN TASK IMPLEMENTATION In connection with the performance of the Action Plan tasks and in order to achieve all of its objectives, it is necessary to also deal with some of the special themes described below. The results of individual projects may contribute to the quality of the Action Plan accomplishment and to improve the level of knowledge in this field. †
† † †
FUNDING The Radon Program of the Czech Republic is the government program and it is paid from the state budget only.
Collecting data about indoor radon concentration, about trends of this type of exposure, associated health risks, prevention and mitigation efficiency and its evaluation Development of measuring and diagnostic methods for assessment of natural radiation in buildings Development of new technologies of anti-radon measures and their evaluation Development and processing of map sources for risk assessment of the geological subsoil, updating and detailing of the prognosis map of the radon risk in the territory of the CR
REFERENCES 1. Act No. 18/1997 Coll., (Atomic Act) as amended, on Peaceful Utilization of Nuclear Energy and Ionizing Radiation. 2. Decree of the SONS No. 307/2002 Coll., on Radiation Protection, as amended. 3. Decree of the SONS No. 462/2005 Coll., on distribution and collection of detectors intended for identification of buildings with an increased level of exposure to natural radionuclides and on conditions for acquiring a state budget subsidy. 4. Decree of the Ministry of Finance No. 461/2005 Coll., on procedure for providing a state budget subsidy for decreasing the exposure to radon indoors and radionuclides in drinking water. 5. Methodical guide of the Ministry of Finance No. MF- 28 491/2013/12-1204 on implementing Decree No. 461/2005 Coll.
CONCLUSION Protecting the general public against exposure to indoor radon is a long term, in fact never-ending task.
29
Downloaded from http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ at Ondokuz Mayis University on November 6, 2014
concentration exceeds 400 Bq m23 and for other buildings used for health and social services (e.g. hospitals, retirement homes) with a radon concentration over 1000 Bq m23. The state financial subsidy is paid only after the efficiency of the implemented remedial measures has been proved by taking measurements. The maximum sum payable for one flat is EUR 6000, for other buildings EUR 60 000(3 – 5). Recently high radon concentrations were found in some kindergartens where they were not detected in past. It indicates that the attention paid to indoor air quality during reconstruction is insufficient although it is well known that thermo insulation and exchanging windows can significantly influence indoor air quality. That is the reason why we started blanket radon screening in kindergartens and schools again.
