Traditionally, for indoor radon testing, predominantly passive measurements have been used, typically applying the solid-state alpha track-etch method for long-term and the charcoal method for short-term measurements. However, increasingly, affordable consumer-grade active monitors have become available in the last few years, which can generate a concentration time series of an almost arbitrary duration. Firstly, we argue that consumer-grade monitors can well be used for quality-assured indoor radon assessment and consequent reliable decisions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoastal regions, home to a significant portion of the world's population, confront a formidable challenge: the corrosive impact of chloride-rich environments on vital infrastructure. These areas often host essential transportation systems, such as trains and metros, reliant on pre-existing electrical infrastructure. Unfortunately, complete isolation of this infrastructure is rarely feasible, resulting in the emergence of stray currents and electrical potentials that expedite corrosion processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSensors (Basel)
January 2024
Indoor radon measurements have been conducted in many countries worldwide for several decades. However, to date, there is a lack of a globally harmonized measurement standard. Furthermore, measurement protocols in the US (short-term tests for 2-7 days) and European Union countries (long-term tests for at least 2 months) differ significantly, and their metrological support is underdeveloped, as clear mathematical algorithms (criteria) and QA/QC procedures considering fundamental ISO/IEC concepts such as "measurement uncertainty" and "conformity assessment" are still absent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRadiat Prot Dosimetry
May 2023
The main trends of indoor radon regulation in Europe are expressed through the standard ISO 11665-8. This standard, however, ignores the short-term tests (2-7 days in practice)-the main tests in the USA, and instead requires conducting long-term tests only (2-12 months)-without any justification. Moreover, the temporal (key) uncertainty of indoor radon is ignored altogether, a fact that does not allow the assessment of a room's conformity with a normative at a given reliability (usually 95%).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere now exists a broad consensus among the European radon community members that long-term measurements are the best practice in managing the risk of indoor radon exposure. This, not with standing the fact that <1% of buildings have been tested in Europe so far. At the same time, US' experience over the years shows more effective regulation has been accomplished through tests that are short-term.
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