Indoor Radon Research in the Asia-Pacific Region

Indoor radon is a major hazard to human health; it is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Therefore, radon research in Asia has intensified recently due to the growing awareness of the harm that radon poses. An analysis of the collected literature data showed that in Asia-Oceania, some regions have-or are believed to have-little indoor radon problems due to climate and low Rn ground. It can be concluded that countries have their own approaches, techniques, and protocols. Data were not harmonized within each region; however, measurement techniques were compared by regional intercomparison exercises. The situation differs regarding studies on the usability of radon as a tracer or potential predictor of tectonic phenomena, as some countries are in seismically active zones, such as India, Taiwan, China, Japan, etc. India and Taiwan are global leaders in this research, as well as Italy, which is another seismically affected country. We provide an overview of radon-related surveying and research activities conducted in the western, southern, and eastern Asian regions over the past few years. Additionally, we observed that the number of indoor radon measurements per million inhabitants increases as the human development index (HDI) increases.

Automated summary

Indoor radon is a major health hazard and a leading cause of lung cancer. Radon research in Asia has increased due to growing awareness of its harm. Analysis of literature data revealed that certain regions in Asia-Oceania have little indoor radon problems due to climate and low Rn ground. Countries have their own approaches and techniques, though measurement techniques are compared through intercomparison exercises. Certain countries in seismically active zones, like India and Taiwan, lead in radon research, along with Italy. The number of indoor radon measurements per million inhabitants increases with higher human development index (HDI).