WHO response
Indoor radon is a preventable risk factor that can be handled through effective national policies and regulations. The "WHO handbook on indoor radon: A public health perspective" [3] provides policy options for reducing health risks from residential radon exposure through:
o providing information on levels of radon indoors and the associated health risks;
o implementing a national radon programme aimed at reducing both the overall
population risk and the individual risk for people living with high radon concentrations;
o establishing a national annual average residential radon concentration reference level
of 100 Bq/m3, but if this level cannot be reached under the prevailing country-specific
conditions, the reference level should not exceed 300 Bq/m3;
o developing radon measurement protocols to help ensure quality and consistency in
radon testing;
o implementing radon prevention in building codes to reduce radon levels in buildings
under construction, and radon programmes to ensure that the levels are below national
reference levels;
o promoting education for building professionals and providing financial support to
remove radon from existing buildings; and
o considering the inclusion of radon as a risk factor in national strategies related to
cancer control, tobacco control, indoor air quality and energy conservation.
These recommendations are consistent with the International Basic Safety Standards [4] (2014), co-sponsored by WHO and other international organizations. WHO promotes the implementation of these radon standards, which ultimately support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and Target 3.4 on noncommunicable diseases. To help monitor national radon policies and regulations around the world, WHO has assembled a radon database [5] as part of the WHO Global Health Observatory.
Footnotes
1 Radioactivity is measured in units called Becquerels (Bq). One Becquerel corresponds to the transformation (disintegration) of one atomic nucleus per second. Radon concentration in air is measured by the number of transformations per second in a cubic meter of air (Bq/m3).
References
[1] Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 4th edition, Geneva, WHO (2011)
[2] Management of Radioactivity in Drinking-water, Geneva, WHO (2018)
[3] WHO Handbook on Indoor Radon: A Public Health Perspective, Geneva, WHO (2009)
[4] Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources:
International Basic Safety Standards, Vienna, IAEA (2014)
[5] WHO Global Health Observatory: Radon database on national policies and regulations
###
29