Radon: low-cost detectors, sensor networks and a primary radon-in-water standard — first results of the RadonNET project
On 29 September 2026 EURAMET presented the first results of the Metrology Partnership project RadonNET (23IND07): prototypes of low-cost radon detectors, test beds for sensor networks and a set-up for producing primary radon-in-water standards at the French CEA. Poland’s Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection is among the project participants.
- Partners NUVIA and CMI have built the first prototype of a semiconductor-based radon detector with the potential to become a low-cost commercial device. PTB developed an ionisation chamber with an estimated hardware cost of around EUR 40 that gives access to raw data, and the University of Siegen demonstrated a high-sensitivity chamber for reference-grade or transfer-standard applications.
- The first stage of a sensor-network test bed has been set up at the University of Helsinki. According to project coordinator Benoit Sabot (CEA), two test beds of about thirty nodes each are running: one in the laboratory at CEA and one under real-world conditions in Helsinki.
- CEA designed a measurement set-up capable of producing primary radon-in-water standards, validated through multiple cross-check measurements with the help of Sofia University; according to EURAMET this opens new opportunities for traceable radon-in-water measurements.
- The background is Directive 2013/59/Euratom, which requires EU member states to mitigate exposure to radon. Participants include the metrology institutes BFKH, CMI, IFIN-HH, LNE-LNHB, NPL, PTB and SMU as well as Poland’s Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection.