Today is European Radon Day. The European Radon Association (ERA) chose 7 November as a day to generate awareness about the dangers of radon as it is Marie Curie’s birthday, the two-time Nobel Prize winner . Marie, together with her husband, discovered the chemical element radium, and one of its decay products is radon. Therefore, the day is significant as it gives us the opportunity to promote a radon community which has been established to make the wider public and businesses aware of the inherent health implications of sustained exposure to the gas.
The theme for 2024 is “10 years of general European requirements for radon in workplaces and at home”. To access regulatory information and guidance for your own specific national authority, follow this link.
We would be delighted to hear if you have planned or undertaken any activity to celebrate National Radon Day, please email (secretaryATradoneurope.org) and we will add this to our website here. Also, remember to use the hashtag #ERD2024 in all of your social media posts to reach a wider audience. We are already aware of activities taking place in France and Italy.
Radon is a radioactive gas that is odourless, colourless and tasteless. Radon enters buildings through cracks and joints and, therefore, can lead to increased radon concentrations indoors. It is estimated that one in ten lung cancer cases in Europe is due to indoor radon exposure. Deaths from Radon related lung cancer can be considerably reduced through radon awareness and implementing good practices, such as the annual testing of properties by homeowners, landlords, and employers, and subsequently acting upon the findings.
On the ERA website we have many resources available for you to download if you require more information, including publicly available documents and resources from many European countries.
José-Luis Gutiérrez Villanueva, Secretary of the ERA, said: “European Radon Day is important as it provides a platform for the European radon community to get its message across and educate more people as to why we should measure for radon and what remediation actions are needed if levels are too high. General awareness about radon and its dangers is still relatively low, but we are seeing year-on-year improvements in public perceptions and will continue to work with relevant authorities to ensure our message is delivered as widely as possible.”
