Long-Range Strategy of Iran National Plan for Indoor Radon Concentration Survey

This paper introduces the framework of the Iran national plan for survey of radon concentration in homes which is commenced in 2015 by National Radiation Protection Department (NRPD) of Nuclear Regulatory Authority (INRA) and cooperation of Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MHME). The aims of this study are to obtain an estimate of the proportion of the Iranian population living in homes with radon gas levels above the ICRP guideline of 300 Bq/m³ (as well as >200 Bq/m3 and >100 Bq/m³), to identify previously unknown areas where radon gas exposure may constitute a health risk, and to build, over time, a map of indoor radon gas exposure levels though the country. Participants for the study are selected and recruited via a random selection method using the postal codes. Homes are going to be sampled across Iran and a long-term (six-month) radon test is going to be conducted by participants during spring and summer or fall and winter. By sampling in all rural and urban areas as opposed to only few large cities, an estimate of the geographic distribution of radon levels across the country is planned to be obtained. By completion of the project across Iran, it would be practical to define national (and/or provincial) reference level(s) based on the reliable collected data. Furthermore, the survey will help to define potential radon prone areas that are still unknown. Another outcome of the study can be searching for any possible correlations between radon levels and home characteristics based on reviewing and analyzing the questionnaire data from the full study. (author)