Radon exposure versus exposure to other sources of ionizing radiation

The purpose of this contribution is to situate the radon issue within the whole field of radiationprotection. There is among health physicists a fairly general consensus that exposure to radon decayproducts constitutes the largest and most variable contribution to the population exposure. It istherefore ironical that precisely this exposure is the subject of constant disputes with regard to thevalidity of the risk estimates and to the desirability of inciting the population living in radon proneareas to take action. At the forefront of the discussion is the different perception of the radon risk bythe population but also by many experts. The apathy for the radon risk has to do with the nature ofthe risk: