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How can I measure radon (or have it measured)?
- Radon measurements are inexpensive and straightforward.
- The use of passive radon detectors is particularly easy.
- The BfS provides addresses of qualified providers who can send detectors by post.
- The detectors are set up in different places around the home. After three to twelve months, they are returned to the provider, who analyses them and provides information about the results.
Drawing of a radon measuring device
The concentration of radon in a building is influenced by many internal and external factors, such as weather conditions and the ventilation habits of the residents. A reliable statement about the radon concentration can be made only by taking a measurement.
Radon measurements are inexpensive and straightforward. The radon concentration in the most important residential rooms should be measured over a year to find the average ("annual mean value"). The most important rooms are those in which the residents or users of the building spend the most time – for example the living room, bedrooms, dining areas, workspaces.
Commercially available measurement devices can be installed easily in occupied areas without causing disruption. It is important that the residents do not change the ways in which they usually use and ventilate the room.
Passive measurement devices
The simplest option is to measure the radon concentration in the room air with a passive detector ("nuclear track dosimeter"). Passive detectors are small plastic containers; they do not need an electrical connection and do not emit light or noise but are simply placed in the room.
How do the measurement devices work?Show / Hide
Radon from the room air can penetrate the container. As the radon decays in the container, the arising alpha particles leave tiny traces on a detector film inside the container.
With the help of the traces on the detector film, the radon concentration in the air of the room in which the device has been placed can be determined in a measurement laboratory.
How many measurement devices do I need?Show / Hide
How many measurement devices should be laid out depends on the house/apartment. Usually one measurement device is placed in the cellar (where the supply and waste pipes enter the building) as the highest vales are expected there.
Additionally, one measurement device should be placed in the living room, each bedroom and the children's room, as these are the rooms in which residents spend the most time.
Where can I get measurement devices?Show / Hide
Passive radon measurement devices can be ordered from measurement laboratories. If laboratories offer radon measurements at workplaces, they must be acknowledged by the BfS as "acknowledged body in accordance with § 155 Radiation Protection Ordinance". This ensures the quality of the providers. The BfS recommends applying this quality standard to radon measurements in general.
The BfS acknowledged the following providers (contact details can be found on the respective website):
| Provider | Measuring instruments | Measuring procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Provider: A to C- | ||
ALTRAC Radon-Messtechnik, Prüflabor 09661 Striegistal OT Böhrigen | LD PDL RSX | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
|
08294 Lößnitz | LD PD RSX | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
|
08468 Heinsdorfergrund | LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
Baubiologie Mittelrhein & Sachverständigen Büro GmbH & Co. KG 56598 Rheinbrohl | RTM 1688-2 | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector |
Baubiologie-Umweltmesstechnik Bio-Synergetics 42799 Leichlingen | RTM 1688-2 RadonScout | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector |
| LD Radtrak2 | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector | |
Bergsicherung Schneeberg GmbH & Co. KG 08289 Schneeberg | EQF 3200 | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector |
| LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector | |
|
91207 Lauf | LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
BsS Bergsicherung Sachsen GmbH 08289 Schneeberg | LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
| Provider: D to F- | ||
|
97084 Würzburg | Tesla TSR | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector |
|
01277 Dresden | LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
| Eurofins Radon Testing Sweden AB SE-972 41 Luleå (Sweden) | Eurofins Alpha track Radon Detektor | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
|
26135 Oldenburg | LD Eurofins passives Radonexposimeter | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
|
95100 Selb | LD RSX Radtrak3 | passive, integrating with |
| Provider: G to J- | ||
GEODIENST Ingenieurbüro für Baugrund und Tiefbauüberwachung | RadonScout Pro P | direct reading, electronic, Lucas cell |
| RadonScout Home | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector | |
GEOPRAX Bergtechnisches Ingenieurbüro Bernd Leißring und Nick Leißring GbR 09114 Chemnitz | AlphaGuard | direct reading, electronic, ionisation chamber |
| LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector | |
IAF - Radioökologie GmbH Dresden 01454 Radeberg | AlphaGuard | direct reading, electronic, ionisation chamber |
| LD PD RSX | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector | |
IBUS Ingenieurbüro für Umweltschutz 98574 Schmalkalden | LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
IGU Institut für angewandte Isotopen- Gas- und Umweltuntersuchungen 82237 Wörthsee | AlphaGuard RadonEye RD200 | direct reading, electronic, ionisation chamber |
| EQF 3200 | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector | |
INGEPA Inweltverbesserung und Gebäudepathologie GmbH 91207 Lauf | LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
| Provider: K to M- | ||
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Sicherheit und Umwelt, Radonlabor 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen | FKSD-KIT | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
| LGA Institut für Umweltgeologie und Altlasten GmbH 90427 Nürnberg | AlphaGuard | direct reading, electronic, ionisation chambe |
| LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector | |
| Landesanstalt für Personendosimetrie und Strahlenschutzausbildung Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (LPS) 12555 Berlin | LD RSKS | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
Materialprüfungsamt Nordrhein-Westfalen 44287 Dortmund | AlphaGuard | direct reading, electronic, ionisation chamber |
| Ortsdosimeter | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector | |
Mirion Medical GmbH, Abt. Radon Messstelle 80687 München | Eurofins passives Radonexposimeter | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
| Corentium Home | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector | |
| AlphaGuard PQ2000 | direct reading, electronic, ionisation chamber | |
| Provider: N to P- | ||
Nuclear Control & Consulting GmbH 38114 Braunschweig | AlphaGuard | direct reading, electronic, ionisation chamber |
| RadonScout | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector | |
|
85354 Freising | Eurofins passives Radonexposimeter | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
| RTM 1688-2 Radonscout Home | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector | |
|
87561 Oberstdort / | RadonScout Plus | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector |
| Provider: Q to S- | ||
|
95666 Leonberg | LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
|
SE-751 38 Uppsala (Schweden) | Radtrak2 Radtrak3 | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
| SPIRIT | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector | |
|
89426 Wittislingen | RadonTec PRD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
Sachverständigenbüro Dr. Gerhard Binker 91207 Lauf | LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
Sachverständigenbüro Dr. J. Kemski 53121 Bonn | AlphaGuard | direct reading, electronic, ionisation chamber |
| RTM 1688-2 RadonScout Corentium PRO | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector | |
| Radtrak2 Radtrak3 | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector | |
Sachverständigenbüro Münzenberg 97346 Iphofen | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector | |
|
69123 Heidelberg | RTM 1688-2 | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector |
Radtrak2 Radtrak3 | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector | |
|
01159 Dresden | RadonScout Pro P | direct reading, electronic, Lucas cell |
| RadonScout Home | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector | |
| Provider: T to V- | ||
|
51105 Köln | RTM 1688-2 | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector |
| LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector | |
TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH 80686 München | Radtrak3 | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
Umweltanalytik und Baubiologie Dr. Thomas Haumann 45133 Essen | RadonScout Pro P | direct reading, electronic, Lucas cell |
|
08523 Plauen | LD | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
|
41460 Neuss | Radtrak2 Radtrak3 | passive, integrating with solid-state nuclear track detector |
VKTA - Strahlenschutz, Analytik & Entsorgung Rossendorf e. V. 01328 Dresden | Thoron Scout RadonScout Plus EQF 3200 | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector |
| AlphaGuard | direct reading, electronic, ionisation chamber | |
| Provider: W to Z- | ||
|
30625 Hannover | RadonScout Home | direct reading, electronic, semiconductor detector |
The measurement laboratories send the measurement devices through the post – with comprehensive instructions. The measurement device packaging is air-tight so that it does not absorb any radon before it has been placed in its measurement position in the home as this could falsify the measurement.
Where do I place the measurement devices?Show / Hide
In a private residence, the measurement devices are unpacked and placed in the most important residential rooms – for example by placing them on a shelf or on a cupboard (not in a cupboard or cabinet).
The measurement devices should not be placed above radiators or directly by the window and should remain about 10 to 20 centimetres from the wall.
For how long do the measurement devices take measurements?Show / Hide
The measurement devices should remain in place for three to twelve months. A full twelve months of measurement is ideal.
If measurements are taken only in the summer months, the calculated radon concentration is usually lower than the annual mean value because in summer, doors and windows are opened more frequently and the building is better ventilated than on average. On the other hand, a measurement that takes place only in the winter months would give a radon concentration that is too high.
If it is not possible to wait a whole year for a measurement, it is better to measure in winter so as not to underestimate the annual mean value.
How do I get the measurement values?Show / Hide
After the end of the measurement period, the measurement devices are packaged up and returned directly to the measurement laboratory with a completed questionnaire. The completed questionnaire shows where (room description) which detector (number) was located and the start and end dates of the measurement period. Usually there are other optional questions – for example, the age of the building and its construction – to enable a closer interpretation of the measurement values.
The measurement laboratory evaluates the measurement devices immediately and determines the radon concentration in the air of the room in which the device has been placed. The measurement laboratory informs the sender of the evaluation findings.
How much do the measurements cost?Show / Hide
Depending on the measurement laboratory, one measurement (measurement device and evaluation) costs between 30 and 50 euros.
With the aid of passive detectors, radon concentrations of 15 to over 5,000 becquerels per cubic metre of room air can be detected.
Active (electronic) measurement devices
Besides long-term measurements with passive detectors, short-term measurements with active (electronic) measurement devices are possible. These measurement devices are used for just a few minutes or days and show the measurement value directly on a display.
Because of the short measurement duration, they show only a momentary snapshot of the radon concentration in the building and do not enable a reliable statement to be made about the long-term radon exposure of the residents and users of a building.
They are however well suited to giving an initial overview of the radon concentration in a building (known as "screening") or identifying places at which radon penetrates a building (known as "sniffing").
State of 2024.11.25
