The Need for Indoor Radon Prevention and Mitigation in Iran: A Health Policy Brief

Radon is a colorless and odorless radioactive gas that is considered a leading cause of lung cancer. Given this need, the main objective of this policy brief was to discuss the need to pay attention to the prevention and control of indoor radon (IRD) in Iran.

To prepare this policy summary, which is similar to a narrative review, scientific reports and studies conducted in Iran over the past two decades were 1st obtained by searching reliable national and international databases. Then, based on the main results of the above studies, the general level of IRD concentration in the main regions of Iran was determined. Finally, by using the experiences and measures in other countries, necessary recommendations for the prevention and mitigation of IRD were made

By evaluating the findings of previous studies conducted in Iran, it was found that the level of IRD in residential and non-residential buildings evaluated in Iran, in most cases, was higher than the global average (40 bq/m3). In addition, in some cases, it was higher than the acceptable level by World Health Organization (WHO) (100 bq/m3).

Based on the findings, it can be concluded that it is very necessary to educate the public, engineers and health and municipal inspectors about the health risks of exposure to radon. In addition, it is necessary to take basic and preventive measures to mitigation radon in homes.