RadoNorm

RadoNorm-SLO – Slovenia: Citizen Science as support to increasing radon testing and mitigation in Bela krajina, Slovenia

RadoNorm-SLO is one of the six citizen science projects funded by RadoNorm, a European project funded by the Euratom research and training programme 2019-2020 under grant agreement No 900009. The RadoNorm project under EURATOM Horizon 2020 aims to manage risks from radon and NORM exposure situations to ensure effective radiation protection based on improved scientific evidence and social considerations.

Objectives

The objective of RadoNorm-SLO is to assess how active participation in a radon monitoring campaign could change participants’ behavior and increase mitigation rates. Hence, the project will examine the relationship between radon awareness, outcomes of measurements, and mitigation of homes in the Bela krajina region in Slovenia (municipalities of Črnomelj, Metlika, and Semič). To achieve this aim, about fifty citizens will be recruited through a local Adult Education Centre, Zavod za izobraževanje in kulturo Črnomelj, ZIK Črnomelj (where citizens are taking different education courses), to co-create research activities and conduct indoor radon measurements in their homes. These citizens will also receive information on radon, related risks, and mitigation. The data generated from radon measurements will be presented on a regional map.

Planned Activities

The project will kick-start in October 2023 with an introductory workshop at ZIK, where citizens’ interests and concerns will be identified and transformed into research questions. Other purposes of the workshop include: getting to know citizens’ background on radon and motivating them to take part in the project. Advertisements on the ZIK website, social media platforms, and in the local media will also be used to attract citizen scientists. Citizen scientists will answer questionnaires regarding their living conditions, habits (e.g., where they spend most of their time if they ventilate), and radon risk perception at the start and end of the project. They will also conduct radon measurements in their homes with passive solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs), and active continuous devices. In case of high radon values, they will analyze their living habits. They will also analyze their indoor air quality and ventilation efficiency through CO₂, PM_2.5 and PM_-10 measurements.

In the course of the project, the team will organize two lectures: The first will include a free discussion on the health aspects of radon and local family physicians will be invited to this event. The second will be an online lecture on mitigation strategies. Citizen scientists will also take part in mitigation field courses where they will have a chance to discuss and learn radon mitigation principles with an experienced radon mitigation expert. 

RadoNorm-SLO is led by a team of experts with knowledge on radon measurements, radon national surveys and participatory-based environmental projects and radon mitigation.

The team will have an introductory workshop on 19^th  October 2023 in Bella krajina, organized together with the local library and Zavod za izobraževanje in kulturo Črnomelj, ZIK Črnomelj with the aim of recruiting participants for RadoNorm-SLO.

Would you like to participate in RadoNorm-SLO? then contact:

Katja König (info@radon.si)

David Kocman (david.kocman@ijs.si)

Janja Vaupotič (janja.Vaupotic@ijs.si)

This project has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2019-2020  under grant agreement No 900009.