Indoor radon monitoring through citizen science in Catalan schools: environmental assessment and educational outcomes
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Mathematics and Physics, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
- 2Institute of Energy Technologies (INTE), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
- 3Socio-Technical Research Centre, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- 4Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU), Olot and Garrotxa Regional Hospital Foundation
- 5Department of Physics, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
- 6Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC-UPC)
Abstract
Introduction: Indoor radon represents a significant environmental health hazard because high indoor radon concentration exposure increases lung cancer risk. Schools are critical settings due to prolonged occupancy by children. The RASCLET citizen-science project (Catalonia, Spain) integrated school-based radon monitoring with educational activities to evaluate exposure conditions and examine whether these activities increased radon knowledge and risk awareness. Meteorological variables and modeled radon flux were also explored in relation to indoor radon variability.
Methods: Integrated radon measurements were conducted in 13 schools across Catalonia (Spain) during the winter of 2024–2025. Detectors were placed in classrooms on different floors. Schools represented different radon risk areas defined by official Spanish radon potential maps. At each school, approximately 40 students participated in educational activities about radon under their teacher’s supervision. Students and their teacher then selected the classrooms where detectors would be installed. Pre and post-intervention questionnaires assessed changes in students’ knowledge and perceptions of radon risks.
Results: Indoor radon concentrations varied across schools and floor levels, with a median concentration of 49 Bq m ⁻³ (interquartile range: 24–77 Bq m ⁻³ ). All measurements obtained during the winter monitoring period remained below the 300 Bq m ⁻³ reference level. PRE and POST-intervention questionnaires were completed by 538 and 339 students, respectively. The mean age was 11.07 ± 1.18 years (PRE) and 10.99 ± 1.04 years (POST), with female-to-male distributions of 49.4%/46.8 and 48.7%/48.7%, respectively. Correct identification of radon as a radioactive gas increased from 34.2 to 72.9% and recognition of its long-term health effects increased from 42.0 to 85.5% (both p < 0.001). Additionally, indoor radon data, combined with meteorological and radon flux data, were used in an exploratory modelling analysis. The analysis identified wind speed as the only statistically significant environmental variable associated with observed indoor radon concentrations ( p = 0.025).
Conclusion: These findings indicate that integrating school-based radon monitoring with citizen-science and educational activities can support exposure assessment, strengthen environmental health literacy, and improve radon risk communication in educational settings. This pilot study also provides a rationale for designing and conducting a larger-scale study across Spain to further evaluate this integrated approach.
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BibTeX
@article{javed2026indoor,
title = {{Indoor radon monitoring through citizen science in Catalan schools: environmental assessment and educational outcomes}},
author = {Misbah Javed and Ian Martínez and Adrina Jimenez and Roser Sala Escarrabill and Arturo Vargas and Ferran Campillo i López and David Pino and Carlo Sabbarese and Claudia Grossi},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1953882},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1953882/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Indoor radon monitoring through citizen science in Catalan schools: environmental assessment and educational outcomes
AU - Misbah Javed
AU - Ian Martínez
AU - Adrina Jimenez
AU - Roser Sala Escarrabill
AU - Arturo Vargas
AU - Ferran Campillo i López
AU - David Pino
AU - Carlo Sabbarese
AU - Claudia Grossi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1953882
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1953882/full
AB - Introduction: Indoor radon represents a significant environmental health hazard because high indoor radon concentration exposure increases lung cancer risk. Schools are critical settings due to prolonged occupancy by children. The RASCLET citizen-science project (Catalonia, Spain) integrated school-based radon monitoring with educational activities to evaluate exposure conditions and examine whether these activities increased radon knowledge and risk awareness. Meteorological variables and modeled radon flux were also explored in relation to indoor radon variability. Methods: Integrated radon measurements were conducted in 13 schools across Catalonia (Spain) during the winter of 2024–2025. Detectors were placed in classrooms on different floors. Schools represented different radon risk areas defined by official Spanish radon potential maps. At each school, approximately 40 students participated in educational activities about radon under their teacher’s supervision. Students and their teacher then selected the classrooms where detectors would be installed. Pre and post-intervention questionnaires assessed changes in students’ knowledge and perceptions of radon risks. Results: Indoor radon concentrations varied across schools and floor levels, with a median concentration of 49 Bq m ⁻³ (interquartile range: 24–77 Bq m ⁻³ ). All measurements obtained during the winter monitoring period remained below the 300 Bq m ⁻³ reference level. PRE and POST-intervention questionnaires were completed by 538 and 339 students, respectively. The mean age was 11.07 ± 1.18 years (PRE) and 10.99 ± 1.04 years (POST), with female-to-male distributions of 49.4%/46.8 and 48.7%/48.7%, respectively. Correct identification of radon as a radioactive gas increased from 34.2 to 72.9% and recognition of its long-term health effects increased from 42.0 to 85.5% (both p < 0.001). Additionally, indoor radon data, combined with meteorological and radon flux data, were used in an exploratory modelling analysis. The analysis identified wind speed as the only statistically significant environmental variable associated with observed indoor radon concentrations ( p = 0.025). Conclusion: These findings indicate that integrating school-based radon monitoring with citizen-science and educational activities can support exposure assessment, strengthen environmental health literacy, and improve radon risk communication in educational settings. This pilot study also provides a rationale for designing and conducting a larger-scale study across Spain to further evaluate this integrated approach.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -