Indoor radon mapping: The Ghanaian strategy

Abstract

Indoor radon mapping is a valuable tool for drawing a picture of the exposure of the general public to radon and radon progeny inhalation in a residential context. Radon awareness is currently on the rise worldwide. The information provided by a map is useful not only as an awareness and strategic element for authorities and policy makers, but also as a scientific start-up point in the design of epidemiological and other specific studies on exposure to natural radiation. The requirements for good mapping are related to the harmonization of criteria from the European Union, United States, and World Health Organization Approximately 4,000 indoor radon measurements have been made in Ghana since the national radon programme began in the 1990s. A significant proportion of the results comes from the work of graduate students from 2003 to 2016. In this paper, the main results of new, updated data for radon mapping are presented.