Magdeburg (dpa/sa) - The naturally occurring noble gas radon can damage the lungs in high concentrations. Anyone in Saxony-Anhalt who would like to check the radon concentration in their home can now take part in a program run by the Ministry of the Environment. The department announced on Wednesday in Magdeburg that the load can be determined using small measuring boxes that are sent to the house free of charge by post.
Interested parties would have to register online on the website of a company commissioned by the ministry. There are measuring boxes for 900 apartments. They should be laid out in the living room and bedroom for a year if possible. A contained plastic changes under the influence of radon.
After a year, the boxes should be returned to the company. The participants then received an evaluation and information as to whether there was a need for action, such as more frequent ventilation, sealing the door to the basement or, in extreme cases, having structural changes made. The data on radon distribution in the state would also be used anonymously for scientific purposes in order to plan further measures to protect against the noble gas in Saxony-Anhalt.
According to the information, the offer also applies to private apartments outside the radon prevention areas in 15 communities in the Harz district and the Mansfeld-Südharz district. But it must be a residential address in Saxony-Anhalt. According to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, there are increased radon levels in the soil air in the south and west of Saxony-Anhalt. With poor ventilation, radon can accumulate in indoor spaces close to the ground.
Environment Minister Armin Willingmann (SPD) explained: "You cannot see or taste radioactive radon, but the health risk for people is all the more real. Radon measurement is only mandatory for workplaces in radon prevention areas. In addition, we are now giving private households all over the country the opportunity to simple and free measurement."
