BMU & BfS provide information on forthcoming designation of radon precautionary areas

By the end of this year, the federal states will designate so-called radon precautionary areas, in which the legal reference value for radon of 300 becquerels per cubic metre of indoor air is likely to be significantly exceeded.

With this in mind, Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary for the Environment, and Dr Inge Paulini, President of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), have today given a press briefing in which they highlighted the importance of protection against radon, a naturally occurring radioactive noble gas.

Radon is produced everywhere in the soil. If it enters buildings, it can be harmful to health.

Radon protection regulations

After smoking, radon is one of the most common causes of lung cancer. In 2018, modernised radon protection legislation imposed wide-ranging rules for protection against radon across Germany.

Radon precautionary areas will be subject to stricter radon protection requirements in new buildings as well as compulsory measurements in ground-floor and basement workplaces.

BMU and BfS contribute to radon protection

Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary for the Environment, said: "In terms of radon protection, we've made good progress in Germany in recent years and we're now about to take the next important step. The designation of radon precautionary areas by the federal states will allow us to look more closely at specific regions in which the reference value for radon is likely to be significantly exceeded and where there is a greater need for action.

This will also heighten public awareness, which is at least as important for radon protection as the other measures adopted by the federal and state governments."

President of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Dr Inge Paulini

Inge Paulini, President of the BfS, said: "There is clear scientific evidence of the harmful effect of radon on health. Nevertheless, the risk posed by radon is often underestimated. The designation of radon precautionary areas is therefore a key step towards better radon protection, but it's by no means the only one.

Everybody can take action to protect themselves and their family against radon – even outside of radon precautionary areas. I would therefore encourage everybody to get to grips with the issue of radon."

Radon

The radioactive noble gas radon is primarily produced by the decay of naturally occurring radioactive substances in the ground. From there, it enters the air and can be inhaled. In outdoor air, radon quickly becomes diluted and does not normally present a problem.

It can, however, accumulate in the air inside buildings, and inhaling radon at high concentrations for a long period of time leads to a greater risk of lung cancer.

Radon precautionary areas

The federal states are responsible for identifying and specifying radon precautionary areas by the end of 2020.

In Germany, the distribution of radon varies widely depending on regional geology. The Radiation Protection Act therefore stipulates that, by the end of this year, the federal states must designate radon precautionary areas in which the reference value for radon is more likely to be exceeded.

That does not mean that, in radon precautionary areas, the reference value is exceeded in every building. Likewise, it is also possible for the reference value to be exceeded outside of these areas.

However, the probability of the reference value being exceeded is higher in a radon precautionary area than in the rest of the country.

The only way to establish whether a specific building is affected by radon levels that exceed the reference value is through radon measurements, which are cheap and straightforward to perform.

Radon action plan

The Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) and the Federal Office for Radiation Protection are making a key contribution to radon protection by providing comprehensive information and by working with the federal states to implement the radon action plan published by the BMU in 2019.

For example, the radon action plan includes measures aimed at:

• further developing radon protection in new and existing buildings
• advancing research into radon
• further improving the information provided by the federal and state governments.

Lastly, as part of its work to implement the radon action plan, the BMU has created a compact brochure containing all of the essential information on radon protection and directing readers to sources of further information.