Development and implementation of national radon plan Natasa Bjelica

1. . • Development and • implementation of national radon plan • Natasa Bjelica • Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (MSDT) • Directorate for Environment • 14-17 January 2019 Vienna

2. Role ofthe MSDT in decision making process regarding regulation of radon in building and in workplaces The national regulatory authorities relevant from the aspect of radon protection are: • Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (MSDT) • Nature and Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) • Inspection Administration (IA) MSDT create the policies and legislation/regulations: • Prepared Program of radon protection with Action plan for the period 2019-2023, Government of MNE adopted it in December 2018. • Currently draft New Law on Protection against Ionizing Radiation and nuclear safety and security (in the final process of drafting. Low will transpose Directive 59/2013 and Directive 51/2013. Also rulebooks which have to ensure the implementation of these rights and obligations, immediately after the adoption of the law will be developed . • Law on Spatial Planning and Construction (2017) take into account preventive measures of radon protection during the design phase and construction of buildings. Technical regulation, based on this Low, will be developed (still no experiences related to this to report about them).

3. Role of MNE national organizations in decision making process: executive branch, reporting to the MSDT, further use of the reports MNE9004 national radon project : ”Upgrading the National System for Radon Protection” started in January 2014 and finished 2018. This project was financed by the IAEA and the Government of Montenegro. In December 2018 Government of MNE adopted Information related to this project with project results and radon maps developed based on those results. NEPA is recognized by the current RP Low as the institution which has as an obligation, every year, to prepare and conduct the Program of monitoring radioactivity in environment and also to prepare the document : Information about monitoring of radioactivity in environment with assessment of radiological burden of the MNE population. This Information also content the data related to radon measurements in dwellings. (number of measurements every year depend of the budget dedicated to monitoring of radioactivity) This Information, after the supervision of Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, every year has to be adopted by the MNE government. Inspection Administration is in charge of inspections for the implementation of the provisions of the RPLaw TSO: CETI: • do sampling and measurements of radioactivity in environment (according to the Program of monitoring) • is the only institution which is capable to measure radon in dwellings, workplaces and in water(also recognized by the Low of Environment from 2016 as national reference laboratory ) • posses equipment for short and long term radon measurements and complete equipment for etching and reading radon detectors.

4. Program of the radon protection with Action plan for the period 2019-2023general information Professional basis for the preparation of Program of the radon protection with Action plan for the period 2019-2023 was given by the expert team who managed the project MNE9004. MSDT establish the working group consisting of representatives of the MSDT, Ministry of Health, NEPA, Montenegrin Academy of Arts and Sciences, Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Natural Sciences, CETI, Faculty of Civil Engineering  who develop, based on professional basis, the final version of the Program. MSDT, in accordance with the relevant national regulation, conducted public hearing. During the public hearing MSDT organized a round table. Implementation of the Program with Action Plan require the cooperation of state and municipal authorities. Also, participation of scientific and technical institutions, professional associations, NGOs are necessary, and cooperation between the various professional disciplines such as: architecture, construction, medicine, protection against ionizing radiation, inspections for public health and for protection against ionizing radiation, metrology inspections, building inspections, must be realized. 

5. Program of the radon protection with Action plan for the period 2019-2023general information, key milestones and achievements so far This Program is based on the requirements of Directive 2013/59 and Directive 2013/51, WHO, ICRP and IAEA recommendations. Main information in the Program are: • Average yearly activity concentration of radon in dwellings in MNE which is 110 Bq/m3 • Average effective dose to a resident of MNE (residential and work areas) is 2.78 mSv/year. • Defined reference levels (for old, new buildings and urgent referent level) • Radon prioritized areas (areas where 10% of total number of buildings has a radon concentrations bigger than 300 Bq/m3) • Program and Action Plan are harmonized with other relevant national strategies. • Program implementation is carried out through the Action plan in the five-year period, • All activities are clearly defined, measurable, time frame for their implementation is defined. • For all activities: carriers, other participants, sources and amounts of necessary financial resources needed for their implementation are defined. • For the implementation of the Program will be necessary to secure the funds from the budget of Montenegro and/or donor funds in the amount of 711,000 EUR, which are necessary for the implementation of 69 activities listed in the Action Plan of the Program. • Namely, it is necessary to provide: 24,000 EUR in 2019, 90,000 EUR in 2020, 126,000 EUR in 2021, 243,000 EUR in 2022 and 228,000 EUR in 2023. year.

6. Program of the radon protection with Action plan for the period 2019-2023general information, key milestones and achievements so far Strategic objective: Reducing radiological burden of MNE population related to radon inhalation and ingestion of radon through drinking water. 11 Operational objectives: 1. Assurance of coordination between competent authorities, public administration, municipalities and non-governmental organizations (NCB). 2. Significantly increasing the awareness of public and institutional representatives, especially special target group, about radon (Development of national communication radon program, organizing round tables and workshops with aim of raising public awareness about radon, printing flyers, posters and other information material and its distribution during the of these activities). 3. Continuously and effectively reduce the radon risks through the obligatory measures prescribed by RP Law and regulations (reference levels, radon prioritized areas, local (municipal) action plans for radon protection). 4. Ensuring preventive measures during construction of new buildings, as well as during the reconstruction of existing buildings- significantly reduce the possibility of entry of radon from the soil into the building (regulations related basic preventive construction measures for radon protection).

7. Program of the radon protection with Action plan for the period 2019-2023general information, key milestones and achievements so far 5. Reducing individual risk from radon using various incentives (Development of Decree on incentives. It is necessary to provide funding in the amount of 100,000 EUR per year starting in 2022. (this is only for dwellings)). 6. Reducing of radon exposure in: workplaces, educational institutions, buildings for public use (Obligations to measure the activity concentration of radon at the ground floors and basements of workplaces which are located in recognized radon priority areas; to make mandatory radon measurements in specific work areas with public access at the ground, basement and in the work areas where measurements are required taking into account spending hours in those working areas and other facts related of which risk evaluation can be made). 7. Continuously increasing the number of measurement of the activity concentration of radon in dwellings and the workspaces. 8. Organizing training programs and significantly increase the number of professionals in the field of radon measurements and professionals who do remediation. 9. Establishment of a national radon database. 10. With targeted research increase domestic specific knowledge necessary to reduce the risk from radon in Montenegro (such as: seasonal and annual variations of radon in different types of buildings in different climatic areas in Montenegro). 11. Reduction ingestion of drinking water loaded with radon gas (radon ref level in drinking water)

8. Program of the radon protection with Action plan for the period 2019-2023general information, key milestones National reference level in existing residential buildings, workspaces in buildings with public access (hospitals, schools, kindergartens ...) is annual average activity concentration of radon in the air of 300 Bq/m3 (7.4% of the housing stock has the activity concentration of the radon above the value of the reference level), For new construction reference level is of 150Bq/m3, Levels of radon above which is strongly recommended remediation and financial support from the budget of Montenegro, so-called „emergency action level", is 1000 Bq/m3 (to 0.8% of housing stock in Montenegro has a mean annual radon activity concentrations above this level)

9. Program of the radon protection with Action plan for the period 2019-2023major implementators of tha Action plan MSDT will establish National Coordination Body (NCB), whose members will be representatives of the relevant authorities, institutions and non-governmental organizations. Role of NCB is: • coordination and work on the implementation of the Action Plan of the Program; • regular monitoring and evaluation of implemented planned activities and measures; • preparation of expert basis for national communication program on radon; • report yearly to MSDT about the progress; • at the end of the period for which the action plan was adopted to make recommendations for further activities, • reporting/analyze of good and bad experiences of the participants in the implementation of the Action Plan; • analyze general lesson from this period and the most important issues and problems, • specify the activities and measures that need to be implemented in the next five years. • other relevant activities. The largest number of the Action Plan needs to be implemented by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, which for a period of five (5) years should provide funds in the amount of 309,000 EUR Local authorities/municipalities, the capital Podgorica and Cetinje royal capital are obliged allocate 105,000 EUR. Municipalities which are recognized as Radon priority areas (6 of them) required to provide total: 18,000 EUR in 2020 and 30,000 EUR in 2021. The remaining 17 municipalities, including the capital city of Podgorica and Cetinje royal capital, are obliged to by the year 2022 provide a total of 57,000 EUR.

10. Other important issues During the development of the Program and Action Plan three possible barriers, confirmed by the experience of countries that are leading in the field of radon, are taken into account:  • low public awareness of the risks of radon • low efficiency measures that are designed on the basis of voluntariness and recommendations,   • resistance to the introduction of mandatory measures related to radon measurement

11. Questions: