scope:

Lung cancer risk caused by the inhalation of radon (²²²Rn) and its short-lived progeny is related to lung dose, which cannot be directly measured. The only measurable parameters which allow the determining of lung doses are the radon and radon progeny activity concentrations and related size distributions. Although lung cancers are caused by the inhaled short-lived radon progeny and not by the radon gas, it is the radon gas which is commonly measured and not its progeny. Since radon gas measurements are much easier to carry out, require less expensive equipment and are especially suited for long-term measurements, the report focuses on the measurement of the radon gas for specific exposure conditions in homes and workplaces. The first objective of this Report is to provide information on how to measure radon, covering measurement techniques of radon in air and water, currently available detection systems, and measurement strategies most appropriate for the desired goal of a measurement campaign. Critical measurement strategy decisions are the selection of the measured radionuclide (i.e., radon gas or radon progeny and related size distributions), choice of the measurement period (i.e., short-term or long-term measurements), the choice of detector and its deployment, the type of measurement (i.e., areal or personal measurements), the survey strategy (i.e., integral or time-resolved measurements), or the strategy to accomplish the specific goal of a survey (i.e., measurements describing the current status or retrospective measurements). The choice of a specific strategy depends on the purpose of the survey, and differs therefore between the demands of a nation-wide indoor radon survey or an epidemiological study.