School Radon Map of Poland

The School Radon Map of Poland is an educational project, implemented in the 2020/2021 school year, aimed primarily at science circles (physics, chemistry) of secondary schools. The aim of the project was to raise awareness of the occurrence of natural sources of ionising radiation, in particular the impact of radon on health, and to familiarise students, particularly those interested in science, with issues relating to radiation dosimetry and radiological protection in the broadest sense. Forty-nine schools took part in the project.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive noble gas, which is produced by the radioactive transformation of radium (a decay product of uranium found in the earth’s crust). Radon is found in the air, soil and water. It is not a stable element. It decays by emitting ionising radiation, specifically alpha radiation, which has a relatively low penetration and range of effects. The largest part of our “natural radiation dose” comes precisely from radon and its radioactive decay products, which we breathe in with the air. This is why radon monitoring in everyday rooms is becoming so important and increasingly popular.

The project consisted of two main parts, described in the following tabs. The first, of course, was the measurement of radon in schools. Each school received four radon trace detectors, which they laid out in the building according to instructions we had prepared. The second part was the comparison benchmark, a special task that involved analysing microscopic images of the CR-39 plates of the radon detectors according to the instructions provided. We present the results of both parts on the following tabs.

During the project, we also organised three webinars – the first dedicated only to the teachers who volunteered to take part in the project, the second to the students – the project participants – explaining the problems of the topic, as well as the principles of measuring radon indoors, and the third to everyone (students and teachers) discussing the results of measurements collected from all over Poland.

The project was carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Climate and Environment and with the substantive support of the Radonova company, which provided the detectors for the measurements and performed the reading of these detectors in a specialised, accredited laboratory. On this basis we have created a School Radon Map of Poland, which is presented on the project website.