DIN ISO 11665-9:2016-11

Radon isotopes 222, 219 and 220 are radioactive gases produced by the disintegration of radium isotopes 226, 223 and 224, which are decay products of uranium-238, uranium-235 and thorium-232 respectively, and are all found in the earth's crust. Solid elements, also radioactive, followed by stable lead are produced by radon disintegration. When disintegrating, radon emits alpha particles and generates solid decay products, which are also radioactive (polonium, bismuth, lead, etcetera). The potential effects on human health of radon lie in its solid decay products rather than the gas itself. Whether or not they are attached to atmospheric aerosols, radon decay products can be inhaled and deposited in the bronchopulmonary tree to varying depths according to their size. Radon activity concentration can vary from one to more orders of magnitude over time and space. Exposure to radon and its decay products varies tremendously from one area to another, as it depends on the amount of radon emitted by the soil, weather conditions, and on the degree of containment in the areas where individuals are exposed. This standard specifies a method for the determination of the free radon exhalation rate of a batch of mineral based building materials (Radon-222). Any contribution of thoron (Radon-220) to the measurement result can be neglected if the described method is applied. The following German standards exist in the DIN ISO 11665 series of standards for the determination of airborne Radon-222 contamination: - DIN EN ISO 11665-1 (VDE 0493-1-6651):2015-11, Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air: radon-222 - Part 1: Origins of radon and its short-lived decay products and associated measurement methods (ISO 11665-1:2012); German version EN ISO 11665-1:2015 - DIN EN ISO 11665-2 (VDE 0493-1-6652):2015-11, Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air: radon-222 - Part 2: Integrated measurement method for determining average potential alpha energy concentration of its short-lived decay products (ISO 11665-2:2012); German version EN ISO 11665-2:2015 - DIN EN ISO 11665-3 (VDE 0493-1-6653):2015-11, Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air: radon-222 - Part 3: Spot measurement method of the potential alpha energy concentration of its short-lived decay products (ISO 11665-3:2012); German version EN ISO 11665-3:2015 - DIN ISO 11665-4 (VDE 0493-1-6654):2013-05, Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air: radon-222 - Part 4: Integrated measurement method for determining average activity concentration using passive sampling and delayed analysis (ISO 11665-4: 2012) - DIN EN ISO 11665-5 (VDE 0493-1-6655):2015-11, Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air: radon-222 - Part 5: Continuous measurement methods of the activity concentration (ISO 11665-5:2012); German version EN ISO 11665-5:2015 - DIN EN ISO 11665-6 (VDE 0493-1-6656):2015-11, Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air: radon-222 - Part 6: Spot measurement methods of the activity concentration (ISO 11665-6:2012); German version EN ISO 11665-6:2015 - DIN EN ISO 11665-7 (VDE 0493-1-6657):2015-11, Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air: radon-222 - Part 7: Accumulation method for estimating surface exhalation rate (ISO 11665-7:2012); German version EN ISO 11665-7:2015 - DIN ISO 11665-8 (VDE 0493-1-6658):2013-08, Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air: radon-222 - Part 8: Methodologies for initial and additional investigations in buildings (ISO 11665-8:2012) - DIN ISO 11665-9 (VDE 0493-1-6659):2016-0x, Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air: radon-222 - Part 9: Test methods for exhalation rate of building materials (ISO 11665-9:2016). The following standard exists on methods for the determination of Radon 220: - DIN EN ISO 16641 (VDE 0493-1-6410):2016-05, Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air - Radon 220: Integrated measurement methods for the determination of the average activity concentration using passive solid-state nuclear track detectors (ISO 16641:2014); German version EN ISO 16641:2016. Requirements for measuring instruments for radon and radon decay products are specified in the standards with VDE classification VDE 0493-1-10: - DIN IEC 61577-1 (VDE 0493-1-10-1):2007-06, Radiation protection instrumentation - Radon and radon decay product measuring instruments - Part 1: General principles (IEC 61577-1:2006) - DIN IEC 61577-2 (VDE 0493-1-10-2): 2015-03, Radiation protection instrumentation - Radon and radon decay product measuring instruments - Part 2: Specific requirements for 222Rn and 220Rn measuring instruments (IEC 61577-2:2014) - DIN EN 61577-3 (VDE 0493-1-10-3): 2015-03, Radiation protection instrumentation - Radon and radon decay product measuring instruments - Part 3: Specific requirements for radon decay product measuring instruments (IEC 61577-3:2011, modified); German version EN 61577-3:2014 - DIN EN 61577-4 (VDE 0493-1-10-4): 2015-03, Radiation protection instrumentation - Radon and radon decay product measuring instruments - Part 4: Equipment for the production of reference atmospheres containing radon isotopes and their decay products (STAR) (IEC 61577-4:2009, modified); German version EN 61577-4:2014. The responsible committee is DKE/GUK 967.2 "Aktivitätsmessgeräte für den Strahlenschutz" ("Radiation protection instrumentation") of the DKE (German Commission for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies) at DIN and VDE.