Radon

What is Radon?

Radon is a naturally occurring, colourless, odourless, radioactive gas. It's formed by the decay of minute amounts of uranium that are present in all rocks, soils, brick and concrete. Radon can be found everywhere outdoors in the UK and can potentially accumulate indoors too. It's unlikely to cause any harm, however, it's important to survey and measure the exposure levels and take action where necessary.

What are we doing about Radon?

Every building has Radon and in most areas the levels are low. Some buildings in "Radon affected areas" have higher levels. Buildings in these areas should be tested for Radon. High levels can be reduced by carrying out some simple building works.

There are three simple steps that we follow:

• Check – what homes are in an ‘affected area’. We've identified all of our homes located in affected areas, using the UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) map, and have put them into 3 categories (less than 1%, 3 to 5%, and 5 to 10%). These homes and their Radon levels will be monitored over a 10-year programme to make sure they remain below the recommended standard. We have chosen Radonova to carry out these checks as they are a global leader in Radon measuring.
• Measure – measurement is easy. If you're in one of the homes identified as an affected area, Radonova will send you two detectors to put in your home. All you need to do is place one in your bedroom and one in the living area. After three months, return them using the pre-paid postage envelope for analysis.

• Act – if the result comes back higher than the recommended level, we'll arrange for the appropriate measures to be carried out at your home to reduce the level. These remedial measures will vary and be dependent on things such as your location, the levels detected and the build of your home.