Radon Gas (Hansard, 15 March 1985)

§ Mr. Skeet
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give his assessment of the amount of radon gas present in a dwelling in (a) Sellafield, (b) north Bedfordshire and (c) Cornwall.

§ Sir George Young
Preliminary estimates by the national radiological protection board, based on its current surveys of dwellings in the United Kingdom, are that the levels in Cumbria are about the same as the average for the United Kingdom as a whole; in north Bedfordshire about half the average; and in Cornwall generally about four times the average. No measurements of radon levels have been made in dwellings in the immediate area of Sellafield, but NRPB has not identified any factors there which would be expected to lead to levels significantly different to those in the rest of Cumbria.

§ Mr. Skeet
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what studies his Department has carried out into the effect of double glazing and stone floors in dwellings in which radon gas accumulates.

§ Sir George Young
Research on radon gas accumulation by the Building Research Establishment of my Department and by the NRPB has not specifically addressed the influence of these two factors. However, the surveys of dwellings in the United Kingdom currently being undertaken by NRPB may provide useful information. In terms of current knowledge, the material from which floors are constructed and the nature of glazing are not likely to have overriding significance in determining radon levels.

§ Mr. Skeet
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate the steps the Government propose to take to carry out the recommendations on radon gas formulated in paragraph 5.49 of the Royal Commission's report on environmental pollution Tenth report.

§ Sir George Young
The position remains as set out in paragraphs 53 and 54 of "Controlling Pollution: Principles and Prospects: the Government's response to the Tenth Report of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution" (pollution paper no. 22), which was published on 13 December 1984 and is in the Library.