ABSTRACT
The international scientific community has recognized the significance of doses resulting from exposure of general public to the natural radiation environment. At the level of European regional coordination, it was particularly the Commission of the European Communities that declared its interest in the issue in the 1980-1984 Radiation Protection Research Programme by providing extensive support for experimental and theoretical research in the various member states. Two different types of radon surveys have been carried out: detailed studies with emphasis on the urban environment and large-scale nationwide surveys. The assessment of the risk to the public for lung cancer induction due to radon daughter exposure using epidemiology requires the availability of radiological, demoscopical, and medical data. Due to the lack of coordinated actions by international organizations, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency or the World Health Organization, on this important issue, it was largely left to individual national or regional agencies to address the problem of indoor radon daughter exposure.
