Radon Reporter | March 2021
INTERNATIONAL
Radon Survey in Israel Using Schoolchildren and Innovative Tools
Konstantin Kovler , Andrey Tsapalov , Yevhenii Shafir , Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
It is well known that indoor radon has a lognormal distribution , therefore high indoor radon levels can occur not only in radon-prone areas , but also in any territory . This means that any existing building has a potential for radon risk and must be tested . What is the most effective way to organize a survey of a district , city , region , or country to detect hazardous buildings ?
Involving schoolchildren in the measurements of radon in their homes seems to be an effective instrument , which can provide two important conditions for the representativeness of the sample of buildings : ( i ) the random sampling principle , and ( ii ) the distribution of measurement points in proportion to the population density . This gives an accurate assessment of the parameters of the lognormal distribution of indoor radon . Thus , already at the initial stage of the survey , it is possible to reliably estimate the proportion of hazardous buildings , and the impact of radon on the population - to compare the risks and , consequently , to take necessary actions at the administrative level .
Furthermore , older schoolchildren are quite capable to perform a simple procedure for recording test conditions and passive exposure , using the simple and user-friendly sensors . The participation of schoolchildren can be regarded as a national educational project providing important information to the public about the radon risks .
Radon survey involving more than 14 schools located in different regions of Israel was started in January 2019 . To implement this project , the following main actions were required :
( a ) participation of researchers from the Technion as project initiators supported by the European Commission in the framework of the “ RadonACCURACY ” grant ( No . 792789 );
( b ) participation of the Taking Citizen Science to School ( TCSS ) center ( www . tcss . center ) as a communicator between the schools and the Technion team ;
( c ) permission from the Israeli Ministry of Education to involve schoolchildren in the survey , subject to the consent of their parents and the protection of personal data ;
( d ) development of miniature charcoal flacons ( 20 ml ) type of CF-13 for passive sampling ( from 3 to 6 days ) and sticking them with QR-code that is scanned by a mobile phone to access the “ RadonTest ” website ; highly sensitive and inexpensive detector - to measure the radon activity in charcoal , which is controlled online via Wi-Fi ( instrumental uncertainty is ~ 15 Bq / m3 at zero radon level ); and
( e ) creating the “ RadonTest ” online system ( www . radontest . online ) based on a special mobile application associated with a laboratory database via a website .
Before indoor radon tests were conducted , the number and initial mass of the CF-13 , as well as the corresponding number on the label with the QR-code , were registered in the “ RadonTest ” system in the Technion lab . Then boxes containing about 50 samples each were transferred to the school . Scanning QR codes allowed identification of the sample , geolocation , the beginning and end of the sampling . In addition to the detailed sampling guide , the mobile application ’ s questionnaire collected information about the building characteristics and testing rooms . Our experience shows that the use of a mobile application is not difficult , even for schoolchildren .