Exposure to Natural Sources
The control of population exposure from natural sources is focused in the long term especially on the problem of radon exposure and other natural radionuclides in buildings. The SÚJB department performed in this area the duties defined on the basis of the resolution of the Czech Government Decree No. 970 dated October 7, 2002 on the Czech Radon Program:
- to proceed in cooperation with assigned employees of regional offices and employees of the State Institute for Radiation Protection in the target search for inhabitants residing in exceptionally high radon risk areas (the search statistics are always prepared for the entire previous calendar year), the coordination meeting regarding this cooperation was held on January 17, 2004,
- to use the database of the results of the target search procedure, which enables, in addition to the usual outputs also processing the results in the form of a map of the level of particular municipalities with the possibility to forecast the estimated rates of radon risk in the municipal housing stock,
- to continuously report through regional offices the results of measurements carried out in houses and apartments to the house owners and, in case of increased risk, to notify these owners that they may apply for an allowance from the state budget for radon curative measures,
- in the granting process assured radon curative measures for house owners, besides opinions to the right to apply for a grant (in total 43 opinions), also opinions to adequate effectiveness of implemented curative measures, before the payment of a grant (32 positive opinions),
- to participate in the process of the payment of grants for water supply systems supplying drinking water intended for public delivery by processing the opinions for regional offices. In 2004, four applications of the municipalities were positively appraised already before the promise of payment after successful implementation of the measures,
- in cooperation with other departments to set new development and operational tasks necessary for solving the Czech Radon Program and to secure assessment of their performance, related especially to the development of anti-radon curative measures in the buildings and continuing in covering the territory of the Czech Republic with maps of the land’s radon index.
A part of the control of natural exposure is the control activity of the SÚJB carried out at the producers and importers of construction materials and packed water and the suppliers of water intended for drinking water public supply that are obliged to secure a systematic measuring and assessment of the natural radionuclides content and to optimize the radiation protection in the set way.
The control of the natural radionuclides content in drinking water shall be included in the regulation of the Council No. 98/83/EU. In connection with the proceeding negotiation a questionnaire was processed for the needs of WEKNOW (Web-based European Knowledge Network on Water) by request of Kiw Water Research from Holland and ENDWARE (European Network of Drinking Water Regulators). During its processing the results of systematic measuring of the content of natural radionuclides in the supplied water were used.