RLA : RPI : Radioactive warning

News from the Residential Property Investor, the bi-monthly magazine for RLA members

other artilces from the December 1999 / January 2000 issue

Radioactive warning - December 1999 / January 2000

Parts of the Yorkshire Dales, Wales and the Welsh Border are among the areas newly identified as requiring radon protection in new housing.

Added to the list of such areas by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), these areas are pinpointed in a revised publication from the Building Research Establishment, Radon: guidance on protective measures for new dwellings.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that disperses naturally when released through the ground into open air. But when it seeps in buildings it can reach unacceptably high concentrations. Radon in the home and workplace is in fact the largest source of radiation experienced by most people.

Those who spend a lifetime in a house at the 'action level' incur a 3 per cent risk of lung cancer as a result.

The revised BRE publication, BR211, outlines changes to regulations effective from next February and is available from CRC Ltd, which can be reached on 0171 505 6622.

Meanwhile the NRPB, which will conduct radon surveys and searches, radon audits and advise on protection, has also put out a new edition of its publication, Living with radiation. Copies cost £9.95 plus £1 postage and packing. NRPB can be reached on 01235 822742.

other artilces from the December 1999 / January 2000 issue