31
RADON STUDIES IN THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE COUNTRIES

Ildikó Mócsy 1 , György Köteles 2
1 Institute of Public Health Cluj, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Str.Pasteur 6, Romania, Tel: + 40 64 194252,
Fax: + 40 64 194252 e-mail: igiena@jeffmcm.soroscj.ro 2 National Research Institute for Radiobiology and Radiohygiene Budapest, 1775 Budafok 1,
POBox.101, Hungary

There is a currently growing interest in the effect of exposure to 222 Rn, because it became
recognised as an important “pollutant” factor of the environment. Possible lung cancer incidence
due to exposure to environmental radon levels may thus account for a fraction or perhaps all the
spontaneous incidence.
The paper presents the published results regarding the radon concentrations in indoor air in
Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Ukraine and Yugoslavia from Carpathian
Basin. The study is based on the materials of the International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
on a 10 year period (1986 - 1997). It is completed with the results of the papers published in the
Conferences volumes, that was not part of INIS. Most of the papers were published in 1992 and
1993 in CEE countries, but they only 2.2 % from world ones.
The number of houses investigated differ from country to country. The main radon source is the
soil under the dwellings. The mean values of the radon concentration in this area are among 47 -800
Bq.m -3 in old brick house, among 5-80 Bq.m -3 in block of flats. In all countries, maximum
values were found in older houses at the level of the basement (420 - 20,000 Bq.m -3 ).
The radon concentration in the tap-water ranged among 0.24 - 3.30 Bq.l -1 (were study in Croatia
and Romania). The radon activity concentrations in the natural gas used for heating and cooking
are among 88-135 Bq.m -3 in Hungary and 693-480 Bq.m -3 in Romania.
Carpathian Range of Mountains has a common geological origin and common geophysical and
geochemical properties. The obtained results can be compare after the harmonisation of the
methods in the CEE countries. The estimation of effective dose due to radon inhalation for a high
number of inhabitants will constitute basis for a long debated issue: the effect of low radiation
dose.
Keywords: indoor air, radon, diffusion, water, methane gas, exposure assessment