European Commission approach with regard to radonold.iss.it/binary/tesa/cont/4-European Commission (Asa Wiklund... · 400 Bq/m3 •Construction design level for new buildings –

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 1

European Commission approachwith regard to radon

Åsa Wiklund National Expert in DG TREN/H.4

Radiation Protection


Radon at the European Commission

• DG TREN • DG RTD• DG SANCO• Joint Research Center / ISPRA


Overview

• Existing EC guidance and legislation for:– Radon in dwellings– Radon at workplaces– Radon in drinking water– Radon in building materials

• Present situation in Member States• Revision of the EU BSS (96/29/Euratom)• Radon atlas project


Radon in dwellings

• Commission Recommendation from 1990on indoor exposure to radon(90/143/Euratom)

• Council Directive from 1996 on BasicSafety Standards (96/29/Euratom): radon indwellings is not included in the scope of theBSS


EC Recommendation (90/143/Euratom)

• Establish a system for reducing anyexposure to indoor radon concentrations.

• Apply principles of optimisation.• Decisions should be made on annually-

averaged measurements• Develop criteria for identifying regions,

sites and building characteristics likely tocause high indoor radon levels


EC Recommendation (90/143/Euratom)

• Reference level for existing buildings– Annual average radon gas concentration of

400 Bq/m3

• Construction design level for new buildings– Annual average radon gas concentration of

200 Bq/m3


Radon at workplaces

• Council Directive from 1996 on Basic SafetyStandards (96/29/Euratom), Title VII– Addresses work activities which may lead to significant

increases in exposure of workers or of members of thepublic due to natural radiation sources

– MS shall identify work activities of concern, inparticular those with exposures to thoron or radonprogenies

– For such activities MS shall require the setting-up ofmeans for monitoring and as necessary apply otherrelevant parts of BSS


EC RP 88 (1997): Recommendations forimplementation of Title VII

• A system is required which concentrates on highestexposure and where actions are most likely to be effective.

• Surveys of radon exposure in different types of workplaces• Action levels for radon: 500 – 1000 Bq/m3

• When radon concentrations remain above the Action levelthe principles of BSS should apply (controlled areas,monitoring and dose limits)

• Information and advice to employers on remedial actions


EC RP 95 (1999): Reference levels forworkplaces with naturally occuring

radionuclides

• Offers a technique for screening and categorisingrelevant NORM industries based on dose criteria

• Introduces a graded approach• Converts doses to activity concentrations using

different pathways and exposure situations• Inhalation of radon is one exposure pathway


Radon in drinking water

• Council Directive on the quality of waterfor human consumption (98/83/EC): radonand its decay products are excluded

• EC Recommendation on radon in drinkingwater (2001/928/Euratom)


EC Recommendation on drinkingwater (2001/928/Euratom)

• Natural mineral waters (Dir 80/777/EC) andwaters as medical products (Dir 65/65/EC) areexcluded from the Recommendation

• Representative surveys should be undertaken todetermine exposures by radon in domesticdrinking water supplies

• Reference to BSS Title VII for protection ofworkers in establishments where radon may bereleased from water to indoor air (waterworks,spas, swimming pools, etc).


EC Recommendation on drinkingwater (2001/928/Euratom)

• Public or commercial drinking water supplies:– Reference level for radon: 100 Bq/l– Reference level for Po-210: 0.1 Bq/l– Reference level for Pb-210: 0.2 Bq/l– Above 1000 Bq/l for radon, remedial action is always

justified.• Individual water supplies:

– Reference level for radon: 1000 Bq/l


Radon in building materials• Council Directive on construction products (89/196/EEC):

no specific guidance on radon but states that constructionworks must be designed and built in such a way that theemission of dangerous radiation will not be a health threatto the occupants or neighbours.

• EU BSS Title VII• EC RP 112 (1999) Radiological protection principles

concerning the natural radioactivity of building materials• EC RP 96 (1997) Enhanced radioactivity of building

materials – background report to RP 112


Radon in building materials

• RP 96 and 112 focus on external radiation• RP 112: ”When gamma doses are limited to

levels below 1mSv/y, the 226Raconcentrations in the materials are limited,in practice, to levels which are unlikely tocause indoor radon concentrationsexceeding … (200 Bq/m3).”


Situation in Member States

• ERRICCA 1 project / Study on radonlegislation and national guidelines(G.Åkerblom, SSI Report 99:18)

• RP 96 presented a survey of MS regulationregarding natural radioactivity in buildingmaterials


Situation in Member States

• Radon Questionnaire from WP NaturalSources– Response from all EU Member States– Questions on radon policy, reference levels,

criteria for radon-prone areas, requirements forsurveys and measurements, building codes andfinancial support

– Outcome ready to art 31 GoE meeting in June2008


Revision of EU BSS / Radon

• More binding requirements on naturalradiation sources

• Allow for ICRP/IAEA• Article 31 Working Parties

– WP Natural Sources (NORM / Radon)


Proposal from WP Natural Sources

• Require MS to establish an action plan formanaging long term risks from radon:– Long term goals of reducing lung cancer– Assign responsabilities, allocate resources for

measurements and remedial actions– Criteria for delimitation of radon prone areas– Criteria for identification of buildings of concern– Criteria for accreditation of measurement and

remediation services



• Action plan (continued):– Strategy for conducting surveys of indoor radon

concentrations– Types of workplaces where measurements are needed– Methods and tools for remedial action– The basis for defining reference levels– Schedules for audits/reviews of action plan– Strategy for increasing public awareness and informing

decision makers of the risk of radon and its synergismwith smoking



• Require national reference levels notexceeding:– 200 Bq/m3 for new building– 400 Bq/m3 for existing dwellings– 400 Bq/m3 for public buildings with a high

occupancy by the public– 1000 Bq/m3 for existing workplaces and other

public buildings



• Establishment of building codes• Application of optimisation principle• If workplaces exceed reference levels, the

exposure should be regarded as plannedexposure situation


European radon map(s) in theframe of a European Atlas of

Natural RadiationsREM (Radioactivity Environmental Monitoring) action

Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES)Joint Research Centre - European Commission

http://radonmapping.jrc.it/


Main challenge is to map radon concentrations (main contributor to doses)

December 2005

EUR 21892 EN, EC. An overview of radon surveys inEurope. 168 pp. G. Dubois

Exploring radon surveys in Europe (2004-2005)

1) Scientific literature was checked to ask the "right"questions)

2) A questionnaire was set up and distributed3) Replies were compiled into an EU report

Radon is the firstinvestigated variable.

A European Atlas of Natural Radiation?


December-January 2007: Letter from DG TREN to Members of the Group ofExperts (Art. 35 & 36) to invite all EU MS to participate to the project

April - August 2007: Distribution of most reference grids to EU MS

Autumn 2007: Start of collection of the first national indoor radon maps,identify problems and issues

Winter 2007: Draft proposal for the contents of a European atlas of naturalradiation (other variables, e.g. maps based on radiometric data)

Spring 2008: Start harmonization study of collected Rn grid, first compilationof national radon grids on a European grid

August 2008: International Geological Congress in Oslo (Symposiumand Workshop about radon risk mapping co-organized by REM):main objective is to find means to generate a geogenic radon mapof EUROPE

Towards European indoor radon maps:timeline

European Commission approach with regard to radonold.iss.it/binary/tesa/cont/4-European Commission (Asa Wiklund... · 400 Bq/m3 •Construction design level for new buildings –

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