Radon exposure in twenty schools of Campania region (Southern Italy) in the framework of the ENVIRAD project

Radon is a radioactive gas which is a product of the radioactive decay of uranium. It is the most important source of radiation exposure for the population, because disperses quickly in outdoor air but can accumulate in buildings Because students represent a considerable objective to such a kind of exposure, in North Italy a lot of surveys in the schools have been carried out, while in South Italy there are not data about student’s radon exposure. To make up for this leak of information ENVIRAD, a project supported by Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), planned a survey in twenty secondary schools of Campania region. Students and their teachers have been directly involved in the campaign also to study the basic elements of radioactivity and radiations, natural radioactivity and radon. Students, after a training period, were become part for the experimental, planning and carrying out the survey. Preliminary results showed that higher radon concentrations are in the chemical, language and computer science laboratories. In particular the school located on Ischia island, shows values higher than all the others.