Tanja Perko
Biographic Data
| ID | 6695045 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tanja Perko |
| GIVEN NAMES | Tanja |
| FAMILY NAME | Perko |
| SIGNATURE | PERKO T |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Antwerp |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8405-6631 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 13 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Leveling the playing field using an asymmetric informational intervention
Surveying behavioral intentions on unfamiliar health risks is challenging due to limited public awareness. Researchers therefore sometimes use asymmetric informational interventions (II) that provide background knowledge to less-informed respondents, before assessing attitudes and behavioral intentions. While such informational interventions are not suitable for experimental research—since they are provided asymmetrically, only to a specific subg…
When waste becomes a resource
The term “circular economy” (CE) has been used inconsistently in nuclear decommissioning, leading to potential misinterpretations and mismatches between CE definitions and practices. With numerous nuclear installations worldwide requiring decommissioning, a clear and consolidated definition of CE, along with relevant dimensions and indicators, is needed to enable transition from the prevailing linear approach to a more sustainable and circular on…
Insights into end-users' perceptions and adoption of sustainable cement produced with naturally occurring radioactive material
The cement industry is a significant contributor to global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 7% of total emissions. To mitigate these emissions, the use of industrial by-products as substitutes for raw materials in cement production not only reduces reliance on virgin raw materials but also contributes to the circular economy by repurposing waste. Alternative cement, made from secondary raw materials such as nat…
Communicating radon risks
Communication campaigns addressing radon-related health risks have struggled to promote health-protective behaviour effectively. Typically framed as a ‘naturally occurring gas’, this study explores whether this framing might attenuate radon risk perception. It compares the impact of framing radon as an ‘indoor air pollutant’ versus a ‘natural gas’ on risk perceptions and on intentions to protect against radon. It also explores the role of percept…
A psycho-social-environmental lens on radon air pollutant
Introduction: Radon is a major indoor air pollutant that poses a significant risk of lung cancer to those exposed in their homes. While mitigation of high radon levels in homes has been shown to be effective, home mitigation rates remain low. This study examines the barriers and facilitators to radon mitigation in homes from the perspectives of authorities responsible for radon risk management, the mitigation industry (contractors), and residents…
Co-Designing Communication
Indoor radon is a natural radioactive gas and is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Despite multiple policy and communication interventions to increase radon testing and mitigation, the uptake of these measures remains insufficient. A participatory research design was applied in Belgium and Slovenia to probe the barriers and facilitators homeowners experience regarding radon protective behavior on the one hand and co-designing communicatio…
Evaluation of Radon Action Plans
Radon, a carcinogenic radioactive gas, is a leading cause of lung cancer according to the World Health Organization. European Member States are required to develop and implement National Radon Action Plans (RAPs) to address its dangerous health effects. However, assessing the effectiveness of these RAPs presents challenges for authorities. This study aims to explore the possibility of a systematic and standardised assessment method to evaluate th…
Foxes caught in the same snare
Mitigating risk from exposures to indoor radon is a critical public health problem confronting many countries worldwide. In order to ensure effective radon risk management based on social scientific evidence, it is essential to reduce scientific uncertainty about the state of social methodology. This paper presents a review of methodological (best) practices, and sensitivity to bias, in research on public attitudes and behaviours with regards to …
Suggestions for Improvements in National Radon Control Strategies of Member States Which Were Developed as a Requirement of EU Directive 2013/59 Euratom
Exposure to the indoor air pollutant radon is considered to be a significant health risk globally, as has been demonstrated by many studies over time. A recent WHO statement on radon estimates that, worldwide, approximately 80,000 people may die every year due to lung cancer associated with radon exposure. The recent years have also seen huge improvements in radon policies in European countries, as a consequence of the issuing, in 2013, of the Co…
Knowing the unknowns
Emergency management implies making decisions under uncertainty. Though this is a truism, uncertainties faced by different actors during radiological emergencies have not been investigated as intensively as other emergencies and lack a systematic analysis during realistic conditions. Hence, the goal of this study is to identify and analyse the uncertainties that may appear during radiological emergencies. Furthermore, this research explores among…
Communicating nuclear and radiological emergencies to the public
How to Communicate Food Safety after Radiological Contamination
Food risk and the safety of foodstuffs in the aftermath of contamination are highly sensitive issues to communicate. Food risks receive extensive attention from the news media, which requires messages to be carefully drafted to minimize harm and avoid unnecessary boycotts. Once a food risk is deemed eliminated, communication efforts must rebuild trust among consumers. The latter is a particularly difficult task after radiological contamination. T…
Fukushima Through the Prism of Chernobyl
This research explores influential factors of using narratives of Chernobyl in media reporting about the Fukushima nuclear accident: radiological consequences, geographical distance from the accident, status of a nuclear energy production, public opinion about nuclear energy and the level of a nuclear accident (INES scale). This study applies a large-scale media content analysis of newspapers articles (N = 1340) published in the first two months …
The Potsdam radon communication manifesto
Risk communication efforts to mitigate the second cause of lung cancer worldwide (after tobacco smoking) – the radioactive gas radon in buildings – are often ineffective. Therefore, new European legal requirements bind member states to prepare communication strategies to ‘... increase public awareness and inform local decision makers, employers and employees of the risks of radon...’ (Council directive 2013/59/EURATOM, ANNEX XVIII/(10)). This man…
The party politics of nuclear energy
Public participation processes related to nuclear research installations
This article addresses organised public participation processes related to installations for nuclear research. The aim was to determine predictors that could provide an empirical insight into the motivations underlying people’s intended level of involvement. The results highlight attitude towards participation and moral norm as the strongest predictors for participation intention. Other significant predictors were time constraints, attitude towar…
Insights into the reception and acceptance of risk messages
The objective of this paper is to test whether the effect of variables such as knowledge, attitudes, trust, risk perception, and psychometric risk characteristics changes in the different stages of risk-related information processing. To address this question, a distinction is made between two information-processing steps, reception (measured as a person’s ability to retain the information communicated) and acceptance (measured as a person’s leve…
The differences in perception of radiological risks
This paper studies the differences in perception of two radiological risks – an accident at a nuclear installation and medical X-rays – between four different groups: the general population without (1) and with experience related to radiological risks (2), new employees (3) and professionally exposed people (4) in the nuclear sector. More precisely, this study determines if differences in risk perception can be explained by the level of experienc…
The party politics of nuclear energy
The Potsdam radon communication manifesto
Risk communication efforts to mitigate the second cause of lung cancer worldwide (after tobacco smoking) – the radioactive gas radon in buildings – are often ineffective. Therefore, new European legal requirements bind member states to prepare communication strategies to ‘... increase public awareness and inform local decision makers, employers and employees of the risks of radon...’ (Council directive 2013/59/EURATOM, ANNEX XVIII/(10)). This man…
Insights into the reception and acceptance of risk messages
The objective of this paper is to test whether the effect of variables such as knowledge, attitudes, trust, risk perception, and psychometric risk characteristics changes in the different stages of risk-related information processing. To address this question, a distinction is made between two information-processing steps, reception (measured as a person’s ability to retain the information communicated) and acceptance (measured as a person’s leve…
The differences in perception of radiological risks
This paper studies the differences in perception of two radiological risks – an accident at a nuclear installation and medical X-rays – between four different groups: the general population without (1) and with experience related to radiological risks (2), new employees (3) and professionally exposed people (4) in the nuclear sector. More precisely, this study determines if differences in risk perception can be explained by the level of experienc…
Public participation processes related to nuclear research installations
This article addresses organised public participation processes related to installations for nuclear research. The aim was to determine predictors that could provide an empirical insight into the motivations underlying people’s intended level of involvement. The results highlight attitude towards participation and moral norm as the strongest predictors for participation intention. Other significant predictors were time constraints, attitude towar…
Insights into the reception and acceptance of risk messages
The objective of this paper is to test whether the effect of variables such as knowledge, attitudes, trust, risk perception, and psychometric risk characteristics changes in the different stages of risk-related information processing. To address this question, a distinction is made between two information-processing steps, reception (measured as a person’s ability to retain the information communicated) and acceptance (measured as a person’s leve…
The differences in perception of radiological risks
This paper studies the differences in perception of two radiological risks – an accident at a nuclear installation and medical X-rays – between four different groups: the general population without (1) and with experience related to radiological risks (2), new employees (3) and professionally exposed people (4) in the nuclear sector. More precisely, this study determines if differences in risk perception can be explained by the level of experienc…
The party politics of nuclear energy
Fukushima Through the Prism of Chernobyl
This research explores influential factors of using narratives of Chernobyl in media reporting about the Fukushima nuclear accident: radiological consequences, geographical distance from the accident, status of a nuclear energy production, public opinion about nuclear energy and the level of a nuclear accident (INES scale). This study applies a large-scale media content analysis of newspapers articles (N = 1340) published in the first two months …
The Potsdam radon communication manifesto
Risk communication efforts to mitigate the second cause of lung cancer worldwide (after tobacco smoking) – the radioactive gas radon in buildings – are often ineffective. Therefore, new European legal requirements bind member states to prepare communication strategies to ‘... increase public awareness and inform local decision makers, employers and employees of the risks of radon...’ (Council directive 2013/59/EURATOM, ANNEX XVIII/(10)). This man…
Communicating nuclear and radiological emergencies to the public
How to Communicate Food Safety after Radiological Contamination
Food risk and the safety of foodstuffs in the aftermath of contamination are highly sensitive issues to communicate. Food risks receive extensive attention from the news media, which requires messages to be carefully drafted to minimize harm and avoid unnecessary boycotts. Once a food risk is deemed eliminated, communication efforts must rebuild trust among consumers. The latter is a particularly difficult task after radiological contamination. T…
Knowing the unknowns
Emergency management implies making decisions under uncertainty. Though this is a truism, uncertainties faced by different actors during radiological emergencies have not been investigated as intensively as other emergencies and lack a systematic analysis during realistic conditions. Hence, the goal of this study is to identify and analyse the uncertainties that may appear during radiological emergencies. Furthermore, this research explores among…
Suggestions for Improvements in National Radon Control Strategies of Member States Which Were Developed as a Requirement of EU Directive 2013/59 Euratom
Exposure to the indoor air pollutant radon is considered to be a significant health risk globally, as has been demonstrated by many studies over time. A recent WHO statement on radon estimates that, worldwide, approximately 80,000 people may die every year due to lung cancer associated with radon exposure. The recent years have also seen huge improvements in radon policies in European countries, as a consequence of the issuing, in 2013, of the Co…
A psycho-social-environmental lens on radon air pollutant
Introduction: Radon is a major indoor air pollutant that poses a significant risk of lung cancer to those exposed in their homes. While mitigation of high radon levels in homes has been shown to be effective, home mitigation rates remain low. This study examines the barriers and facilitators to radon mitigation in homes from the perspectives of authorities responsible for radon risk management, the mitigation industry (contractors), and residents…
Co-Designing Communication
Indoor radon is a natural radioactive gas and is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Despite multiple policy and communication interventions to increase radon testing and mitigation, the uptake of these measures remains insufficient. A participatory research design was applied in Belgium and Slovenia to probe the barriers and facilitators homeowners experience regarding radon protective behavior on the one hand and co-designing communicatio…
Evaluation of Radon Action Plans
Radon, a carcinogenic radioactive gas, is a leading cause of lung cancer according to the World Health Organization. European Member States are required to develop and implement National Radon Action Plans (RAPs) to address its dangerous health effects. However, assessing the effectiveness of these RAPs presents challenges for authorities. This study aims to explore the possibility of a systematic and standardised assessment method to evaluate th…
Foxes caught in the same snare
Mitigating risk from exposures to indoor radon is a critical public health problem confronting many countries worldwide. In order to ensure effective radon risk management based on social scientific evidence, it is essential to reduce scientific uncertainty about the state of social methodology. This paper presents a review of methodological (best) practices, and sensitivity to bias, in research on public attitudes and behaviours with regards to …
Communicating radon risks
Communication campaigns addressing radon-related health risks have struggled to promote health-protective behaviour effectively. Typically framed as a ‘naturally occurring gas’, this study explores whether this framing might attenuate radon risk perception. It compares the impact of framing radon as an ‘indoor air pollutant’ versus a ‘natural gas’ on risk perceptions and on intentions to protect against radon. It also explores the role of percept…
When waste becomes a resource
The term “circular economy” (CE) has been used inconsistently in nuclear decommissioning, leading to potential misinterpretations and mismatches between CE definitions and practices. With numerous nuclear installations worldwide requiring decommissioning, a clear and consolidated definition of CE, along with relevant dimensions and indicators, is needed to enable transition from the prevailing linear approach to a more sustainable and circular on…
Insights into end-users' perceptions and adoption of sustainable cement produced with naturally occurring radioactive material
The cement industry is a significant contributor to global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 7% of total emissions. To mitigate these emissions, the use of industrial by-products as substitutes for raw materials in cement production not only reduces reliance on virgin raw materials but also contributes to the circular economy by repurposing waste. Alternative cement, made from secondary raw materials such as nat…
Leveling the playing field using an asymmetric informational intervention
Surveying behavioral intentions on unfamiliar health risks is challenging due to limited public awareness. Researchers therefore sometimes use asymmetric informational interventions (II) that provide background knowledge to less-informed respondents, before assessing attitudes and behavioral intentions. While such informational interventions are not suitable for experimental research—since they are provided asymmetrically, only to a specific subg…
Risk Perception and Management (16 works) · Medicine (12 works) · Environmental health (10 works) · Business (9 works) · Political science (9 works) · Psychology (8 works) · Radon (8 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · Environmental Science (7 works) · Public relations (7 works)