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Ionising radiation

Environmental Radioactivity - Medicine - Occupational Radiation Protection - Nuclear Hazards Defence

Ionisierende Strahlung

Legal regulations for the protection against radon

  • By the end of 2020, the Länder have to determine according to the Radiation Protection Act in what areas a great deal of radon in buildings has to be expected.

  • In these areas, different regulations apply to several building types:

    • For already existing private homes, owners and residents can take measures to reduce the radon concentration inside the building on a voluntary basis.
    • For new private buildings, owners are committed to largely prevent by taking structural measures that radon can enter the building.
    • If the radon concentration at workplaces is above 300 becquerel per cubic metre, measures must be taken to reduce the radon concentration inside the building.

Protection against radon is regulated in the Radiation Protection Act. The Act provides for various measures to protect human health in areas with high occurrence of radon.

Apart from smoking, inhaling radon is among the greatest risks to develop lung cancer. Radon may rise up from the building ground into buildings, where it may accumulate.

In the Radiation Protection Ordinance, a value of 300 becquerel per cubic metre is stipulated as guideline for an enhanced concentration of radon indoors. If this so-called reference value is exceeded, measures should be taken to reduce the radon concentration inside the building.

Areas with enhanced radon concentrations

By the end of 2020, the Länder have to determine and announce in what areas a particular large amount of radon in buildings has to be expected. This means that in these areas the reference value of 300 becquerel per cubic metre is exceeded in a “considerable number of buildings with living areas or workplaces", according to the Radiation Protection Act.

Different regulations for the protection against radon apply here, depending on whether it is a residential building or a workplace.

Private, already existing residential buildings

Older house

Private, already existing residential buildings

For already existing private homes, owners and residents can take measures on a voluntary basis to reduce the radon concentration inside the building. For this type of buildings, the Radiation Protection Act does not provide any duty to act.

The competent federal and Länder authorities are tasked with informing citizens about health risks due to radon and to convince them of taking precautions.

Private new buildings

Shell of a house

Private new buildings

For new private buildings, owners are committed to largely prevent through structural measures that radon can enter the building.

What structural measures this may be is stipulated in the Radiation Protection Ordinance (only in German)

It is planned to revise the Ordinance accordingly.

Workplaces

View of an office workplace

Workplaces

If buildings are used for work activities, the persons responsible for the respective workplaces are committed to measure the radon concentration at workplaces located in the basement and on the ground floor. If the radon concentration at these workplaces is higher than 300 becquerel per cubic metre, measures must be taken to reduce it.

The same applies to special workplaces where high radon concentrations may occur frequently, such as in mines and in certain waterworks.

Further steps

Until 2020, the Länder must determine and announce the areas with high radon occurrences. Parallel to this, the requirements for measures for the protection against radon in residential buildings and at workplaces are being developed in rules and regulations such as the Radiation Protection Ordinance.

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State of 2018.06.20

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