The national radon program: Implementation experience and challenges for the future

The authors share their experience and represent the historical overview of activities on public radiation protection against radon and other natural sources of radiation in Russia. Special attention is paid to the country’s first national radon program - Federal Target Program “Radon” (FTP “Radon”, 1994-1996). Organization, structure, main goals and objectives of the FTP «Radon» are discussed. In particular, it was noted that in a short period of time the country’s regulatory and methodological framework was developed. The scientific basis for identification of the radon prone areas and regulatory support for building construction at the sites was developed. The national SSND equipment was produced and QA/QC system implemented. The national and regional radon surveys have been performed. Unfortunately, the economic situation of those years did not allow to fully implement the planned set of measures at the federal and regional levels. Nevertheless the accumulated experience served as a scientific and technical basis for further improvements in this field and to be consistent with the modern radon regulatory issues and approaches developed by the international organizations (ICRP, IAEA, WHO).

natural sources of ionizing radiation, radon, National program, radon problem, public exposure, survey, dose, residential and public buildings

1. UNSCEAR, 1993. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. 1993 Report to the general Assembly with scientific annexes, United Nations, New York, 1993.

2. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Ionizing Radiation, Part 2: Some Internally Deposited Radionuclides. IARC. 2001.

3. Kushneva V.S. On the radiotoxic action of radon. In the book: Materials on toxicology of radioactive substances. Moscow, 1957, pp. 130-167. (in Russian)

4. Krisyuk E.M. Radiation background in promises. Moscow, Energoatomizdat, 1989, 120 p. (in Russian)

5. Gneusheva G. I., Shalaev I. L., Glushinsky M. V. Quantitative assessment of occupational risk of death from lung cancer in underground mining of uranium ores. Meditsinskaya radiologiya i radiatsionnaya bezopasnost = Medical radiology and radiation safety, 2004, № 2, pp. 13-16. (in Russian)

6. Korenkov I.P., Polskikh O.G., Sobolev I.A. Radon in municipal and industrial spheres, problems of rationing, biological action, methods of measurements. Moscow, 1993, 250 p. (in Russian)

7. Pavlov I.V., Pokrovsky S.S., Kamnev E.N. Methods of ensuring radiation safety in the exploration and production of uranium ores. Moscow, Energoatomizdat, 1994, 256 p. (in Russian)

8. Handbook on Indoor Radon: A Public Health Perspective. World Health Organization (WHO). WHO Press, Geneva, 2009.

9. International Atomic Energy Agency. Protection of the Public against Exposure indoor due to Radon and Other Natural Sources of Radiation, SSG 32, IAEA: Vienna, 2014.

10. J. F. Lecomte, S. Solomon, J. Takala, T. Jung, P. Strand, C. Murith, S. M. Kiselev, W. Zhuo, F. Shannoun, and A. Janssens. Radiological protection against radon exposure. Annals of the ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection), 43(3):4–5, 2014.

11. Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom, OJ L13, 17.01.2014, pp. 1 -73.

12. Lisachenko E.P., Stamat I.P., Koroleva N.A. History of development of the laboratory of natural sources dosimetry at the Institute of radiation hygiene named after Professor P.V. Ramzaev: 1970-1986 // Radiatsionnaya gigiena = Radiation hygiene, 2016, Vol. 9, № 1, pp. 45-57. (in Russian)

13. Krisyuk E. M. Setting radioactivity standards in the building materials. Gigiena i sanitariya = Hygiene and sanitary, 1980, N 12, pp. 32-34. (in Russian)

14. Koroleva N. A., Shalak N. I., Krisyuk E. M. and others. The release of radon from building materials in dwellings. Gigiena i sanitariya = Hygiene and sanitary, 1985, Vol.1, N7, pp. 64- 66. (in Russian)

15. Limitation of public exposure to natural sources of ionizing radiation. Temporary criteria for decision-making and organization of control № 43-10/796 from 5.12.1990, Moscow, 1990. (in Russian)

16. Krisyuk E.M. The radon problem is the leading problem of ensuring radiation safety of the population. ANRI = ANRI, 1996/97, № 3(9), pp. 13-16. (in Russian)

17. Krisyuk E.M., Marennyy A.M., Pavlov I.V., Stamat I.P., Terentiev M.V. The methodical aspects of organization and conduct of radiation monitoring of buildings and structures. ANRI = ANRI, no. 3, 1996/97, pp. 31-36. (in Russian)

18. Krisyuk E.M. A new strategy to ensure radiation safety of the population. ANRI = ANRI, 1998, № 1(12), pp. 4-11. (in Russian)

19. Maksimovsky V.A., Kharlamov M.G., Maltsev V.A. [et al.] Zoning of the territory of Russia according to the level of radon hazard. ANRI = ANRI, 1996/97, № 3(9), pp. 66-73. (in Russian)

20. Limits for Inhalation of Radon Daughters by Workers. ICRP Publication 32. Ann. ICRP 6 (1), 1981.

21. Protection Against Radon–222 at Home and at Work. ICRP Publication 65. Ann. ICRP 23 (2), 1993.

22. Survey on radon guidelines programmes and activities. Final report. International radon project. WHO: Geneva, 2007.

23. Effect of exposure to radon gas // UNSCEАR briefing note, 21.07. 2009/- New York: United States, 2009.

24. ICRP Publication 103. Translated from engl., Edited by M.F. Kiselev and N.K. Scandala. Moscow, 2009, 312 p. (in Russian)

25. European Commission. RADPAR Project. (web.jrc.ec. europa.eu/radpar/).