Background: The identification of the areas with increased indoor radon levels, generally referred to as “radon priority areas”, is an internationally recognized issue. Many scientific studies propose methods for locating such areas using measured soil characteristics.
Objective: To utilize a modified Neznal radon potential classification for mapping radon potential across the Slovak Republic and experimentally verifying the predictions of radon priority areas.
Methods: The study applied a modified version of the Neznal radon potential classification, using measurements of soil air radon concentration and soil gas permeability, to develop a radon potential map for the Slovak Republic. Municipalities with high radon potential were primarily selected for the experimental verification of radon priority area predictions. The verification process involved comparing measured indoor radon activity concentrations against predicted values, which were derived from a previous study correlating averaged indoor radon activity concentrations with averaged Neznal radon potential for selected municipalities.
Results: The investigation revealed an approximately linear relationship between the measured indoor radon activity concentrations and their predicted values, with a correlation coefficient R2 = 0.43. Notably, in one municipality predicted to have medium-high radon potential, indoor radon concentrations exceeded the reference level of 300 Bq.m-3 even in buildings constructed after 2008, highlighting the significant influence of soil radon content on indoor levels despite stricter building material standards. The analysis of radon priority areas in relation to bronchial and lung cancer mortality data across various districts in Slovakia did not show statistically significant results.
Conclusion: The proposed method of predicting radon risk areas is important for radiation protection of the population against high effective doses of radon and can contribute to the successful implementation of the National Radon Action Plan of the Slovak Republic.
Several scientific studies have shown that high content of radon in the soil environment can be a precursor of increased indoor radon levels. Inhabited areas where elevated indoor radon concentration appears for natural (geogenic) reasons are commonly referred to as radon-prone areas. In this study, radon-prone areas in the Slovak Republic were predicted on the basis of radon potential maps after its specific rescaling. In total, 99 municipalities have been identified in Slovakia where the annual average indoor radon concentration is expected to exceed the reference level of 300 Bq m-3; five of those are even expected to exceed 1000 Bq m-3. In these municipalities it is then required to conduct a survey of indoor radon measurements. Compared with a nationwide survey, the proposed approach of searching for houses with potentially high radon exposure is more efficient.
Abstract The results of a pilot study performed on data from selected dwellings in Slovakia suggested that the best agreement between measured and calculated annual mean indoor radon activity concentration (RAC) were obtained by using seasonal correction factors (SCF) determined for winter season. In this paper, SCF was applied on results obtained during a new, independent radon survey conducted in homes during years 2022–2023. In this study, 79 rooms were monitored throughout the year in four cycles based on 3 month indoor radon measurements. The preliminary results show a good agreement between measured and calculated annual mean RAC.
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