Are we safe? Exploring psychological factors affecting radiation risk perception of dwellers in old uranium mining quarters

The central region of Portugal was an important mining zone of radioactive elements, relying on radium mining until 1944 and afterwards on uranium mining until 2000. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, uranium mined by former member states flooded the market. Both the ensuing price drop and the exhaustion of mines led to the end of Portuguese uranium mining. Historic records show that economic and social benefits in that region overshadowed radiation risk perception. This article looks at ways to strengthen expertise and raise public awareness of radiological risk amongst dwellers in old uranium mining quarters. Some psychological factors are known to influence radiation risk perception and help explain the reaction of dwellers in homes built with uranium mining tailings. Exploration of these factors with a mental models approach and focus groups is necessary to raise the population's risk awareness, promote the adoption of safe behaviours regarding indoor radon risk and other ionising radiation risks, and answer the question of whether we are safe.