Purchase, Radon
Discussion
Not something I'd be overly concerned about,
Large parts of the country are affected by Radon and lots of people will be living in areas which have a high and potential risk to health level present
you can enter the postcode into UKRadon and it will give you an idea of the levels present,
if you have an indication of higher levels and still concerned you can order a monitor to check how bad it is and then if necessary take measures to control the issue.
Have a look at the Radon Atlas of GB (available online) - it will give you an approximate feel for the risk in your location.
It's one of those non issues IMO that would not concern me one jot, RICS got involved around 30 years ago and just about every undergraduate was doing Radon as the dissertation for their surveying degree then it all went a bit quite. A bit like HT lines close to houses which was also a thing along with cellphone masts/radiation
It's been around for ever and I'm not aware of folk dropping dead or any identifiable death clusters in granite and limestone areas.
It's one of those non issues IMO that would not concern me one jot, RICS got involved around 30 years ago and just about every undergraduate was doing Radon as the dissertation for their surveying degree then it all went a bit quite. A bit like HT lines close to houses which was also a thing along with cellphone masts/radiation
It's been around for ever and I'm not aware of folk dropping dead or any identifiable death clusters in granite and limestone areas.
HRL said:
We ve got high Radon levels where we are in North Devon. The house is 800 years old and drafty, so we re not overly worried.
The property is built on a granite ridge line and the garden is full of small pieces of granite, so it s not unexpected.
I did my surveying degree with a lad from Parkham - never heard of Radon until I met him (I'm up North). He chose Mundic rather than Radon for his dissertationThe property is built on a granite ridge line and the garden is full of small pieces of granite, so it s not unexpected.
Lotobear said:
Have a look at the Radon Atlas of GB (available online) - it will give you an approximate feel for the risk in your location.
It's one of those non issues IMO that would not concern me one jot, RICS got involved around 30 years ago and just about every undergraduate was doing Radon as the dissertation for their surveying degree then it all went a bit quite. A bit like HT lines close to houses which was also a thing along with cellphone masts/radiation
It's been around for ever and I'm not aware of folk dropping dead or any identifiable death clusters in granite and limestone areas.
I think most science would agree that Radon raises your chances of getting lung cancer.It's one of those non issues IMO that would not concern me one jot, RICS got involved around 30 years ago and just about every undergraduate was doing Radon as the dissertation for their surveying degree then it all went a bit quite. A bit like HT lines close to houses which was also a thing along with cellphone masts/radiation
It's been around for ever and I'm not aware of folk dropping dead or any identifiable death clusters in granite and limestone areas.
OutInTheShed said:
Lotobear said:
Have a look at the Radon Atlas of GB (available online) - it will give you an approximate feel for the risk in your location.
It's one of those non issues IMO that would not concern me one jot, RICS got involved around 30 years ago and just about every undergraduate was doing Radon as the dissertation for their surveying degree then it all went a bit quite. A bit like HT lines close to houses which was also a thing along with cellphone masts/radiation
It's been around for ever and I'm not aware of folk dropping dead or any identifiable death clusters in granite and limestone areas.
I think most science would agree that Radon raises your chances of getting lung cancer.It's one of those non issues IMO that would not concern me one jot, RICS got involved around 30 years ago and just about every undergraduate was doing Radon as the dissertation for their surveying degree then it all went a bit quite. A bit like HT lines close to houses which was also a thing along with cellphone masts/radiation
It's been around for ever and I'm not aware of folk dropping dead or any identifiable death clusters in granite and limestone areas.
...as a surveyor I'm more scared of the time 25 years ago when I crawled through the roof of a large country house only to realise I'd been paddling though asbestos debris that had dropped off heating pipes slung above me. That and blowing out the brake drums of my Mini 40 years ago.
HRL said:
We ve got high Radon levels where we are in North Devon. The house is 800 years old and drafty, so we re not overly worried.
The property is built on a granite ridge line and the garden is full of small pieces of granite, so it s not unexpected.
When i was a kid back in the late 70s/early 80s, our house in North Devon was part of a monitoring scheme so we had a Radon detector fitted and a guy used to come round every so often and swap it over. Went on for years. They never told us the results, so I've no idea if we were at high risk or none at all. I've not found it to be a massive worry on my mind over the years.The property is built on a granite ridge line and the garden is full of small pieces of granite, so it s not unexpected.
Oddly I have been looking at houses in Cornwall as my budget is so low I can't afford Kent.
A little place that has caught my eye says risk of high radon readings in the small print.
I'd never heard of that situation until today.
Looking at a map it seems that Kent is heavily affected too.
Plenty of people live in both areas, are they all running expensive pumps 24/7?
Exasperating as the few places that fall into my budget always seem to have some problem.
Eyes are feked from looking at Zoopla/Rightmove for hours at a time.
Have decided to blow some of the budget on a sports car
Had enough of blooming houses.
A little place that has caught my eye says risk of high radon readings in the small print.
I'd never heard of that situation until today.
Looking at a map it seems that Kent is heavily affected too.
Plenty of people live in both areas, are they all running expensive pumps 24/7?
Exasperating as the few places that fall into my budget always seem to have some problem.
Eyes are feked from looking at Zoopla/Rightmove for hours at a time.
Have decided to blow some of the budget on a sports car
Had enough of blooming houses.
A few places I've looked at have had radon monitoring done in the past.
But you have to take that in the context of how many air changes a day the house gets.
Some older houses are plain draughty, others have Agas burning 24/7, which creates airflow.
Personally I think we like more fresh air than most, but I'd be looking at getting a modern monitor from Airthings for a couple of hundred quid and ensuring the radon levels are not silly. It's a meter that gives a reading in an hour now, in the old days you only had bits of film you sent off to a lab.
As with Mundic, the problem can be overstated, but it can scare off mortgage lenders allegedly.
If I was needing a mortgage, it's another thing I'd ask my broker.
I'm 'negotiating' on a place in West Devon which is old and has radon potential along with damp potential, so some serious ventilation might be needed.
There is stuff online about safe/caution/danger levels of radon and how many air changes a day you need to mitigate, as well as the 'cures' involving barriers at ground level, venting under floor slabs, sumps and pumps and all that. ISTR the air pump/ fan in question is about 50W, so 100/150 quid a year to run 24/7? DYOR it's your lungs etc!
But you have to take that in the context of how many air changes a day the house gets.
Some older houses are plain draughty, others have Agas burning 24/7, which creates airflow.
Personally I think we like more fresh air than most, but I'd be looking at getting a modern monitor from Airthings for a couple of hundred quid and ensuring the radon levels are not silly. It's a meter that gives a reading in an hour now, in the old days you only had bits of film you sent off to a lab.
As with Mundic, the problem can be overstated, but it can scare off mortgage lenders allegedly.
If I was needing a mortgage, it's another thing I'd ask my broker.
I'm 'negotiating' on a place in West Devon which is old and has radon potential along with damp potential, so some serious ventilation might be needed.
There is stuff online about safe/caution/danger levels of radon and how many air changes a day you need to mitigate, as well as the 'cures' involving barriers at ground level, venting under floor slabs, sumps and pumps and all that. ISTR the air pump/ fan in question is about 50W, so 100/150 quid a year to run 24/7? DYOR it's your lungs etc!
OutInTheShed said:
Lotobear said:
Have a look at the Radon Atlas of GB (available online) - it will give you an approximate feel for the risk in your location.
It's one of those non issues IMO that would not concern me one jot, RICS got involved around 30 years ago and just about every undergraduate was doing Radon as the dissertation for their surveying degree then it all went a bit quite. A bit like HT lines close to houses which was also a thing along with cellphone masts/radiation
It's been around for ever and I'm not aware of folk dropping dead or any identifiable death clusters in granite and limestone areas.
I think most science would agree that Radon raises your chances of getting lung cancer.It's one of those non issues IMO that would not concern me one jot, RICS got involved around 30 years ago and just about every undergraduate was doing Radon as the dissertation for their surveying degree then it all went a bit quite. A bit like HT lines close to houses which was also a thing along with cellphone masts/radiation
It's been around for ever and I'm not aware of folk dropping dead or any identifiable death clusters in granite and limestone areas.
Plus many of the worst affected older properties will be in areas where people burn a lot of wood, so you have particulates adding to your cancer risk.
This may be mucking up the stats?
As pointed out up thread, you have to die of something and the risks are what they are.
I am, in the words of the song, 'too old to die young now' anyway.
This may be mucking up the stats?
As pointed out up thread, you have to die of something and the risks are what they are.
I am, in the words of the song, 'too old to die young now' anyway.
How “possible” is it?
I am currently dealing with a ground gas related issue and there are things you can do in terms of investigatory work and monitoring to better assess ground gas risks.
Whether the infilled land is an issue will depend on when it was infilled, what the infill material was, and the geology (specifically whether there is viable pathway for any gasses generated to reach/enter the property).
Fwiw, the bar to setting up as an environmental consultancy is pretty low. There are good ones out there but, especially if ground gas is the concern, make sure you get one with proper credentials and experience.
I am currently dealing with a ground gas related issue and there are things you can do in terms of investigatory work and monitoring to better assess ground gas risks.
Whether the infilled land is an issue will depend on when it was infilled, what the infill material was, and the geology (specifically whether there is viable pathway for any gasses generated to reach/enter the property).
Fwiw, the bar to setting up as an environmental consultancy is pretty low. There are good ones out there but, especially if ground gas is the concern, make sure you get one with proper credentials and experience.
bobtail4x4 said:
OutInTheShed said:
Lotobear said:
Have a look at the Radon Atlas of GB (available online) - it will give you an approximate feel for the risk in your location.
It's one of those non issues IMO that would not concern me one jot, RICS got involved around 30 years ago and just about every undergraduate was doing Radon as the dissertation for their surveying degree then it all went a bit quite. A bit like HT lines close to houses which was also a thing along with cellphone masts/radiation
It's been around for ever and I'm not aware of folk dropping dead or any identifiable death clusters in granite and limestone areas.
I think most science would agree that Radon raises your chances of getting lung cancer.It's one of those non issues IMO that would not concern me one jot, RICS got involved around 30 years ago and just about every undergraduate was doing Radon as the dissertation for their surveying degree then it all went a bit quite. A bit like HT lines close to houses which was also a thing along with cellphone masts/radiation
It's been around for ever and I'm not aware of folk dropping dead or any identifiable death clusters in granite and limestone areas.
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