Environmental radioactivity you can touch: Radon

Many people have only a vague understanding of radioactivity. Radioactivity is, first and foremost, something completely natural and occurs everywhere on Earth. In the collective memory, radioactivity is often associated only with the dangers and negative effects of radiation. Besides natural radioactivity, modern medicine utilizes many applications, from diagnostics to cancer therapy, that make use of radioactivity or radiation. However, it is important to protect oneself from excessive exposure to radioactivity.

The majority of natural radiation to which everyone is exposed comes from radon. Radon is a noble gas and is naturally produced from uranium. Since uranium is present in all rocks, radon is also found in all soil. Radon enters buildings from the ground, and its occurrence varies considerably regionally and locally depending on the specific geology and other factors such as the building materials. Exposure to significantly elevated radon activity compared to natural levels increases the risk of lung cancer. Approximately 3% of all residential buildings in Germany—the probability varies depending on the region—exceed the legal reference value, making reduction measures advisable. The Hessian Radon Center, the state of Hesse's radon advisory service, is located at the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen .

Radon is a highly interdisciplinary topic, encompassing a wide range of subfields from the scientific fundamentals to medical and structural engineering aspects, as well as science and risk communication. Accordingly, this program is flexible and modular. Depending on the target group and the participants' wishes, we can focus more on the scientific aspects, measuring the amount of radon present in the soil air, in the ground, and in buildings, and exploring the pathways by which it enters buildings. This can be done either directly at your school or at our campus at THM . For this, a thin, one-meter-deep hole is drilled, and measurements are taken in the soil using our measuring devices. We then analyze and contextualize the results together. Alternatively, we can examine the communication aspect, focusing particularly on the specific considerations for sensitive topics such as radiation and health. Here, we primarily concentrate on social media and collaboratively create sample posts (naturally, these also incorporate at least some basic scientific principles). A combination of both approaches is also possible – the program can be tailored to the specific needs of each group.

The primary target group is entire courses/classes currently dealing with the topics of radioactivity, soil, or communication (for example, advanced or basic courses in physics, chemistry, geography, German, etc.). However, other groups are also welcome to register. Depending on the specifics and level of detail, the program lasts from half a day to a full day.

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