Tools for planning large-scale measurement surveys for the assessment of indoor environmental pollutants: the case of radon

Abstract

Risks from indoor pollutants require the implementation of effective policies to prevent and reduce exposure. To take decisions and actions, competent authorities need relevant information. In the case of indoor radon exposure, surveys are carried out by installing detectors in buildings (homes, workplaces) that measure radon concentration in rooms. Conducting national or large-scale surveys in buildings requires addressing both technical complexities of implementation and economic costs. In order to support the implementation of large-scale radon surveys, procedure and tools are described for defining the sample size of buildings to be measured according to available resources, for planning the sampling of buildings in relation to the specific objectives of the survey, and for obtaining a tool for management and control of sample recruitment and installation of radon detectors in buildings, reducing sources of bias. A particular application is shown for the case of the EU radon regulation.