Abstract
The objective of this study is to offer basic scientific data to support policy decision-making for the improved control of radon and natural radiation gases in Korea, and to provide baseline data on radon for use in cooperative international research. Therefore, this study collected and re-analyzed articles on radon exposure in various indoor environments in Korea that were published in environmental journals since 1980, and estimated the annual exposure and effective radon doses for inhabitants. Among the various indoor environments, the highest pooled average radon concentration of 50.17 ± 4.08 Bq/m3 (95 % CI: 42.17-58.17 Bq/m3) was found in homes. All of the pooled average radon concentrations estimated in this study were lower than the guideline concentration (148 Bq/m3) recommended by the U.S. EPA and the Korean Ministry of Environment. The annual effective dose received by inhabitants in various indoor environments was estimated to be 1.071 mSv/yr. This is comparable to the annual radon exposure effective dose (1.0 mSv/yr) estimated by UNSCEAR.
Highlights
Since the 1970s, buildings in all kinds of industrial fields have been insulated tightly to improve heat efficiency and equipped with energy-saving equipment; and indoor air quality, typical of indoor environmental problems, has been deteriorating inside those buildings
To collect past domestic research data related to radon concentrations in various indoor environments, the following literature search and selection conditions were set up using the domestic electronic journal search and the meta search engines from the academic database supported by the Baeknam Academic Information Center of Hanyang University
3.1 Research Related to Radon Concentrations in Korea
Summary
Since the 1970s, buildings in all kinds of industrial fields have been insulated tightly to improve heat efficiency and equipped with energy-saving equipment; and indoor air quality, typical of indoor environmental problems, has been deteriorating inside those buildings. The increased insulation and tight sealing within buildings, which improves energy efficiency, is thought to cause increased pollutant concentrations in indoor air due to the longer duration of hazardous air pollutants remaining inside. It is considered important that, in a modern society, urgent consideration be given to preparing measures and establishing an improvement and control plan to prevent deterioration of indoor air quality in the context of environmental conservation
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