Legal regulatory frameworks of radon spas in central Europe

This study synthesises publicly available information on legal regulatory frameworks that explicitly or implicitly govern radon spa designation and/or identification in six Central European countries: Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Employing analytical and comparative methods in Social Sciences and Humanities research, this study examines official documents, legal norms, and academic literature to address gaps in understanding radon spa regulation within, and partially beyond, the context of the RadoNorm project. Findings reveal substantial disparities in legally established thresholds distinguishing medicinal and non-medicinal bathing waters based on radon concentrations, ranging from as little as 74 Bq/L in Poland (and potentially only 37 Bq/L in Hungary) to as high as 1,500 Bq/L in the Czech Republic, with intermediate values of 370 Bq/L in Austria and 666 Bq/L in Germany and Slovakia. These pronounced differences present significant challenges for cross-national comparative research and broader conceptualisation efforts concerning radon spa academic definitions. As an incidental finding, this study also identifies varying approaches to workplace safety regulations for spa employees, with Austria and Germany following one approach and the Czech Republic another. Overall, the study contributes to the dissemination of RadoNorm project findings concerning the complexity of the so-called ‘radon spa controversy’, in which radon is framed negatively in public health discourse regarding indoor exposure, yet positively in spa treatment contexts. The findings emphasise the need for interdisciplinary research covering comprehensive medical evidence to understand the rationale behind the divergent regulatory frameworks identified.