2020-08-28
The Inter-Agency Committee on Radiation Safety (IACRS) has issued an overview on Managing Exposure due to Radon at Home and at Work. Supporting this effort, ICRP and UNSCEAR prepared an Information Note for Participants at the IAEA Technical Meeting on the Implications of the New Dose Conversion Factors for Radon held 1-4 Oct 2019.
IACRS echoed the recommendation from the participants of the Technical Meeting to use the dose coefficient for radon from ICRP Publication 137 as the default for workplaces unless a different factor is justified by specific aerosol characteristics. This is in line with ICRP recommendations. ICRP has also indicated that the dose coefficient for workers given in ICRP Publication 137 will be applicable to exposures of members of the public in homes.
ICRP develops dose coefficients that are used world-wide for radiological protection purposes. Newly-revised dose coefficients for occupational exposure have been published in the Occupational Intakes of Radionuclide (OIR) series of publications. The first four parts of the OIR series are already available (ICRP Publications 130, 134, 137, and 141), and the fifth and final part is now nearing completion.
Further information on how to access and use these dose coefficients can be found in a recent ICRP news story.
In addition, ICRPaedia includes a Guide to Radon, including general information, information for homeowners and residents, information for governments and employers, and an Expert Summary of ICRP Recommendations on Radon. ICRPaedia also has a Guide to Dose Coefficients, which links to a page specific to Calculating Radon Doses.
IACRS was formed in 1990 to serve as a forum for collaboration between international organisations in matters of radiation safety. Intergovernmental organisation members are EU, FAO, IAEA, ILO, NEA, PAHO, UNSCEAR, and UNSCEAR. International organisation observers are ICRP, ICRU, IEC, IRPA, and ISO.