After smoking, exposure to high levels of radon is the most common reason for developing lung cancer. According to Public Health England (PHE), in the UK more than 1,100 people annually are affected by radon. Radon gas is radioactive and when it enters the lungs it emits alpha radiation from its decay which harms human pulmonary tissues which over time can lead to lung cancer.

Radon is a decay product from the radioactive element radium²²⁶, which in turn is a decay product of Uranium²³⁸, found naturally in soil. As radon is a gas it easily leaks from the soil into houses through tiny cracks in foundations and walls.

In terms of air pressure, a house is an insulated heated environment (as opposed to breathing outside), so the probability of radon exposure is much higher indoors. Due to this, high concentrations of radon can easily build up. In rare cases radon can also be emitted from building material with high levels of radium.

The best way to establish radon levels in your house is to measure with a radon test kit. Due to weather conditions, temperatures and atmospheric pressure, radon levels vary day to day which is why PHE recommends that a measurement period should be at least three months. Radon is only harmful if you are exposed to it for a long period, which is why measurement is conducted over three months to obtain an accurate risk assessment. If a faster analysis is needed, we recommend a minimum ten-day measurement period. This can be carried out with a rapid radon test kit.

The Government advises that remedial action should be taken in any residential property with an average annual radon level of 200 Bq/m³ or more. Although, the target level to reach is 100 Bq/m³, which is in the line with what The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends as a limit value for radon.

Digital monitors are also an option for measurement. However, these are normally used to follow up remediation work. We do not recommend evaluating the risk of radon using radon maps as radon levels can vary substantially due to the local variations in soil and different building types. For workplace radon testing there are specific requirements, which you can read more about here.

There are many different technologies for reducing radon in your home to acceptable levels. As Radonova is an independent validated laboratory and accredited to ISO 17025 we cannot conduct radon mitigation work. Companies providing mitigation services can be found on  Radonassociation.co.uk or Radoncouncil.org.