The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has identified 7 areas of Scotland as at risk of high radon exposure despite previous estimations that their risk was low. Areas of Edinburgh, Mid, East and West Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk and South Lanarkshire have now been confirmed as radon affected areas and their local councils are taking action to alert individuals to the risks and inform them of free precautionary testing kits available to them so they can be sure of their home’s radon levels. It is important to note that having a home in a radon affected area doesn’t necessarily mean your home will contain elevated levels of radon, nor does having a home in a lower risk area guarantee that individual households will have low radon levels.
Because of the risks associated with radon, most pressingly as the second leading cause of lung cancer in the UK, thousands of residents have been offered free testing by the Scottish government and Public Health England has been working closely with Edinburgh Council in particular to both identify and reduce the risk to individuals.
The Radon Map of the UK isn’t set in stone and does not give a definitive answer as to whether an individual property will contain high levels of radon or not; all households are urged to carry out radon testing regardless of their location as it is the only sure method of ascertaining risks. Radon is a naturally occurring colourless and odourless gas that stems from minute amounts of uranium found in rocks and soil. If allowed to enter and accumulate within a property it poses a significant risk to the health of inhabitants, so it is important to test for radon. If high levels are detected the concentration can be brought back down to acceptable levels through simple reduction methods such as positive pressurisation or retrofit radon sumps.
Here at PropertECO we offer affordable radon testing kits so even if you are outside an area where free kits are being offered by the local authority, we can help you ascertain the risk for minimal cost. If high levels of radon are detected we are on hand to design & implement radon reduction methods quickly so the problem is taken care of. If you are concerned about radon levels we urge you to get in touch online or on 0800 046 6193 and get your property tested, as it is the only way to know what the radon levels are in your specific property.
