Regional Workshop on Radon in Workplaces as an Element of a National

Radon Action Plan,

Tallinn, Estonia, 23-27 May 2016

Serbian experience in radon measurements at the

workplaces

Radon Working Group

Developing national radon action plan in Serbia

Institutional framework

Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection

Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development

Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure

Ministry of Health

Serbian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency

(SRPNA)

Developing national radon action plan in Serbia

Radon in national legislation

� Programme of systematic environmental radioactivity examinationestablishes locations and number of measurements of indoor radon

� Rulebook on limits of exposure to ionizing radiation andmeasurements for assessment the exposure levels (Official Gazzeteof RS No. 86/11) establishes action levels for radon in workplaces to1000Bq/m3, and action levels for chronic exposure to radon inhomes to 200Bq/m3 for newly built and 400Bq/m3 for existingbuildings.

RADON MEASUREMENTS AT THE WORKPLACES IN SERBIA

Data provided by the follow institutions in Serbia:

• Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade

• Vinča Institute of Nuclear Science, University of Belgrade

- Radiation and Environmental Protection Department

- Department for Nuclear and Plasma Physics, ECE Laboratory

• Nuclear Physics Laboratory, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad

• Serbian Institute of Occupational Health „dr Dragomir Karajović“,

Belgrade

• Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac

Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Department for Nuclear and Plasma Physics, ECE Laboratory,

Belgrade, SerbiaDr Zora S. Žunić

- Serbian indoor radon survey was based on measurements made in primary schools only, within research projects at the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia. The first phase started in August 2008 and has so far included 340 schools within 13 communities in three districts in South Serbia (Jablanicki, Pcinjski and Zajecarski district). In the last community Sjenica in the West Serbia, 37 schools have been investigated in the period (2014-2015).

- The radon concentration measurements have been carried out in cooperation with an Italian research team led by the Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy (Dr Francesco Bochicchio, head, Carmen Carpentieri, GennaroVenoso, Sara Antignani), National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba ,Japan (Dr Ishikawa Tetsuo, Yasutaka Omori, Dr Shinji Tokonami, head), Radiological Physics and Advisory Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, India, (Dr Rosaline Mishra and Dr Y.Mayya, head), EU Joint Reserach Center (Tore Tollefsen-unofficial collaboration, consulting person) and Dr Peter Bossew, from the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Berlin, Germany.

DETECTORS

Type of detector

Radio-nuclide

OriginUsed in period:

UFO Rn/TnChiba,Japan

•1998.-1999.•2003. - 2007.

RADUET Rn/TnChiba,Japan

•2005.-2012.

CR-39 ISS

RnISS,Italy

•2008.-2012.

Rn/Tn progeny

Rn/Tn progeny

BABHA Center,India

•2010.-2012.

RADUET

CR-39

Rn/Tn progeny

UFO

Radon measurements protocol in schools of Serbia – the activities from May 2008 to 2011

FIELD ACTIVITY

ORGANIZATION

CONTACTS

CONTRACTS

FIELD WORK

REPORTS

DETECTORS DELIVERY

LABORATORY WORK

RESULTS

MAPPING

II Administrativeimplementation

Logistical implementation

Preparation before

field work in schools

I Design implementation•Contact with municipality: Rn survey performed in exchange for logistic support

III Logistical implementation•Visiting of the area, deployment/collection of detectors, informing local authorities about progress

•Select schools; In schools: select room; In room: select location.Communicate to teachers: purpose, method, how to treat the detectors, etc.

Protocol and database

Each site is represented by a file consisting of protocol (one for each visit) and data sheet.

Information on school and municipality:• School: construction year, construction type (building material), photo;• School: number of pupils and teachers;• Municipality: area and population of municipality, number of schools;• Administrative data and documents.

Field work in schools

The protocol includes for following data:• Site: district, municipality, village, name of school;• GPS coordinates (map if available)• Type of room, floor level, location of detector

in the room;• Date of detector deployment or collection;• Detector codes;• (observations, remarks).

Annual radon concentration Summary for each district

RegionN

schools

Average

(Bq/m3)

StDev

(Bq/m3)

StErr

(Bq/m3)

Min

(Bq/m3)

Max

(Bq/m3)

Median

(Bq/m3)

GM

(Bq/m3)GSD

Zaječarski 26 87 45 9 37 202 73 78 1.6

Jablanički 91 93 46 5 17 289 86 84 1.6

Pčinjski 210 134 88 6 27 607 109 111 1.9

Total 327 119 78 4 17 607 97 100 1.8

The essential discussion considering radon in schools included the

questions such as follows:

- summary of design, methodology of sampling and field survey in schools

of Serbia;

- radon concentration measurement methodology (detector etching and

track counting, uncertainty analysis, quality assurance);

- logistical difficulties and how to proceed with the survey;

- to which degree can radon measurement in schools be considered

representative of the population exposure to radon in dwellings?

- how to evaluate the relationship between radon measurement in schools

and in dwellings?

- how to achieve an evaluation of spatial distribution of radon

concentration based on the available data?

Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Department for Nuclear and Plasma Physics, ECE Laboratory,

Belgrade, SerbiaDr Zora S. Žunić

Performed by Serbian Institute of Occupational Health

“ Dr Dragomir Karajović”

Vesna Arsić

Jovana Ilić

METHOD: EERF Standard Operating Procedures for Radon-

222 Measurement Using Charcoal Canisters“, (EPA 520/5-87-

005, Gray D.J, Windham S.T, 1987., United States

Environmental Protection Agency, Montgomery, 1987)

Distribution of average radon concentration in

schools and kindergartens in municipalities of

Belgrade

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Percentage distribution of radon concentration in

schools and kindergartens in Belgrade 2010-2013

79%

11%

9 %

< od 200 Bq/m3

200-400 Bq/m3

> 400 Bq/m3

Ra

do

n co

nce

ntra

tion

in p

ost o

ffices o

f Su

bo

tica

reg

ion

0

20

40

60

80

10

0

12

0

14

0

Upavna zgrada

Pošta 1

Pošta 2, magacin

Pošta 2, magacin štamparije

Pošta 3

Pošta 5

Pošta 6

Pošta 7

Pošta 9

Pošta 10

Pošta 11

Pošta 12

Pošta 13

Pošta 14

Pošta 15

Pošta 16

Pošta 18

TT centar

Radon concentration activity (Bq/m3)

Ra

do

n co

nce

ntra

tion

in p

ost o

ffices o

f Su

bo

tica

reg

ion

(me

asu

rem

en

t loca

tion

s)

0 50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Ada

Adorjan

Bajmok

Bajša

Bačka Topola-blgajna

Bačka Topola-garderoba

Bački Vinogradi

Bikovo

Gornji Breg

Gunaroš

Đurđin

Kanjiža

Kelebija

Lovćenac

Male Pijace

Mali Iđoš

Martonoš

Mol

Novi Žednik

Novo Orahovo

Orom

Palić

Pačir

Senta 1

Senta 2

Stara Moravica

Stari Žednik

Tavankut

Tornjoš

Trešnjevac

Utrine

Feketić

Hajdukovo

Horgoš

Čantavir

Radon concentration activity (Bq/m3)

Ra

do

n co

nce

ntra

tion

in p

ost o

ffices o

f Vra

nje

reg

ion

0

100

200

300

400

500

60

0

700

80

0Bistar

Biljača

Božica

Bosilegrad

Bujanovac

Veliki Trnovac

Vladičin Han

Vlasina Rid

Vranje-1

Vranje-1a

Vranje-3

Vranje-4

Vranje-5

Vranjska Banja

Grnja Lisina

Donja Ljubata

Klenike

Klisura

Korbevac

Kriva Feja

Preševo-1

Preševo-3

Ristovac

Sveti Ilija

Stubal

Surdulica

Trgovište

Džep

Radon concentration activity (Bq/m3)

Radon concentration in theatre “Atelje 212”

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Stolarskaradionica

Malascena

Garderoba Biletarnica Gornjifoaje

Balkon Probnasala

Umetničkisekretar

Hinterbina

Rad

on

conc

entr

atio

n ac

tivi

ty (

Bq

/m3)

Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Radiation and Environmental Protection Department, Belgrade,

SerbiaDr Gordana Pantelić

fff

RnEDtC

BGA

−=

G - total number of counts in the ROI,

between 270 keV and 720 keV, (Cpm),

B - total number of counts in the same

ROI of the background spectrum,

Cf - calibration factor specific for radon

detector (expressed in l/min),

Df - decay factor, used to correct for

radon decay and

Ef - gamma spectrometer efficiency

(expressed in Cpm/Bq)

2012 2013 2014 2015

Min 50 13 23 33

Average 270 ± 310 60 ± 54 50 ± 30 200 ± 100

Max 833 266 95 370

Radon concentration - working place (Bq/m3)

Accredited laboratory: Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences,

Radiation and Environmental Protection Department,

Belgrade, Serbia

Nuclear Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics,

Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad,

Republic of Serbia

Dr Sofija Forkapić

Indoor radon measurements in 50 kindergartens and schools in Novi Sad

Radionuclide Measurements statistics (in Bq m−3)

Max. Min. MeanStandard deviation

Geo. meanσ of Geo. mean

222Rn 250 2.7 50.2 52 31.1 2.8

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac

Prof. Dr Dragoslav Nikezić

RADON CONCENTRATIONS IN SCHOOLS AND KINDERGARTENS IN KRAGUJEVAC CITY, CENTRAL SERBIA

- Radon concentration was measured

using passive discriminative

radon/thoron dosimeters (UFO)

developed at NIRS, Chiba, Japan

- Two UFO chambers were distributed to

each school or kindergarten.

Classrooms on the lowest floors were

chosen for monitoring. Detectors were

usually placed on lockers or shelves, at

least 20 cm distant from walls and at

least 1 m above the ground. The

exposure lasted for three months, from

November 2013 to February 2014.

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac

Prof. Dr Dragoslav Nikezić

Min. Max. AM GM SD GSD Median

25 145 59.6 55.1 25.6 1.18 54.5

Descriptive statistics of radon activity concentration (Bq m-3)

AM = arithmetic mean; GM = geometric mean;

SD = standard deviation; GSD = geometric standard deviation

RESULTS

Low-Background Laboratory for Nuclear PhysicsInstitute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade,

SerbiaDr Vladimir Udovičić

Continuous Radon Monitor Device Sun Nuclear - model 1029:

The short-term radon measurements

are performed with SN1029 radon

monitor (manufactured by the Sun

Nuclear Corporation, NRSB approval-

code 31822). The characteristics of the

SN1029 radon monitor declaried by

the manufacturer are: the measurement

range from 1 Bqm-3 to 99.99 kBqm-3,

accuracy equal to ±25%, sensitivity of

0.16 counts/hour per Bq/m3.

Short-Term Radon Measurements in Bogovina cave

Rn = 3723.9 Bqm-3

Rn = 2164.5 Bqm-3

Short-Term Radon Measurements in the student amphitheater at the Singidunum University

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION