Do the UK workplace Radon Action Levels reflect the radiation dose received by the occupants?
In the UK, Action Levels for radon have been established at 400 Bq m(-3) for the workplace and 200 Bq m(-3) for the home. We have estimated the dose received by occupants of rooms with radon levels near or above the Action Level, using hourly radon readings, and a questionnaire to record occupancy. In the workplace, results for 73 staff suggest that doses are lower than expected, partly due to part-time working and partly due to the mobility of staff. The 75% quantile for the series, corrected to a 37 hour week, is 5.2 mSv at 400 Bq m(-3). Compared to the current annual limit for radiation workers, the Action Level could be increased, but the current Action Level is compatible with the recent EEC Directive requiring a lower dose limit. However, when raised radon levels in the workplace were reduced by remediation in the series we studied, the dose reduction to staff was consistently around half of the radon level reduction. Although it would be appropriate to study more locations, this suggests an Action Level for remediated workplaces of 200 Bq m(-3). Finally, in a limited series of dose assessments in domestic properties, we found that doses could considerably exceed 5 mSv at the 200 Bq m(-3) Action Level, primarily because the sample included an example of high occupancy, in our case several Asian wives in purdah, whose occupancy was almost total.
D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D000398:Air Pollution, Radioactive; D006801:Humans; D008452:Maximum Allowable Concentration; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection; D011886:Radon; D006113:United Kingdom