Putting the ICRP recommendations on radon into national practice: Possibilities and problems

Abstract

The new recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) on protection against radon at home and at work, as contained in ICRP Publication 65, complement the system of radiation protection in an important field. However, owing to principally new considerations of the problem, they are in need of discussion, interpretation, and explanation of their consequences before being transferred to national application. Important areas of discussion include: 1) attributing the same risk coefficient to miners' and public exposure; 2) changes in the dosimetric evaluation of exposure based on miner epidemiology and risk comparison; 3) action levels of radon in homes and workplaces; and, 4) practical proposals to deal with the radon problem. These principles and their application are being discussed in Germany. The German Commission on Radiological Protection responded to these new considerations by issuing principles to restrict exposure to radon, taking into account conditions and experience existing in Germany. Three ranges of radon concentration in homes have been defined, and remedial measures are recommended with extent and urgency adapted to the concentration.