Southwest
Environmental LimitedSouthwest
Environmental Limited| London |
| 02076 920 670 |
| Exeter |
| 01392 927 961 |
| Manchester |
| 01612 970 026 |
| Bristol |
| 01173 270 092 |
If you are a home owner of small business owner please read our DIY Guide to Radon Monitoring. If you are a larger company or school for example, and would like to outsource the work of undertaking radon monitoring over multiple sites, then please do contact us.
On The Blog:
Is 3% to 5% Radon Dangerous?
By placing detectors in you home / workspace, and leaving them
in place for a set time (minimum 90 days), the detectors can then be sent off for
analysis, and and risk to the inhabitants / employees can be
measured.
We would charge over £1000 for radon monitoring at your
property. But you can do it yourself for under £100. In our professional
opinion the only detectors that should be used can be purchased from
UKRadon, a branch of the UK
government.
For more information on the causes of, and the problems caused
by Radon Gas please read the
DEFRA
Guide
If radon is found to be present above a certain level (the
action level), then there will be design
implications for a new build projects, or modifications required
for existing structures.
For the home owner, you may wish to arrange your own testing,
please read our guide to
DIY Radon Testing. However, for larger
concerns, organization and implantation can be outsourced to
Southwest Environmental.
Domestic exposure to radon gas is responsible for a
significant number of lung cancer deaths, research has found.
The risk appears to be much higher for smokers. The researchers
conclude radon in the home causes approximately 20,000 lung
cancer deaths in the European Union each year - about 1,000 in
the UK.
BBC News
Article
We will carry out Radon Monitoring in any part of the UK, we have offices in London, Bristol and Exeter.
Radon Monitoring is carried out over a minimum period of 90 days, this may seem inconvenient particularly if the radon monitoring is being carried out as part of a property acquisition / conveyance but is essential that radon monitoring is carried out over a minimum of 90 days in order to obtain an accurate gauge of radon concentrations within the property. If a short time period is used, the labs will not accept the detectors, a 90 day monitoring period is typically the recommended period.
Why 90 days? The monitoring is carried out using passive monitoring, small black plastic orbs are zipped tied or tied with string to curtain rails or light fitting etc. Inside these orbs is a small amount of a substance that "reacts" with radon if present. The amount of radon in the air varies dramatically from day to day, if you carry out monitoring in the summer months for example, you are more likely to have you windows open, if a house is vacant and all doors and windows clsoed for long periods, then reading may be higher.
Put simply. Each radon detector contains a film which is "marked" when an electronically charged decay product passes through it. They films are then analysed to check for the presence of these "marks" or etches. The number of marks or etches will have a relationship with the concentration of Radon Gas found in the monitored air space and thusly a concentration is derived.
A radon report produced by SWEL will contain secondary and primary data to describe the risk on site. We arrange installation and testing, and interpretation of results along with design recommendation and cost estimates where the scope allows.
In the past SWEL have explored the notion of using accumulator cells for the collection of ground borne gases including radon. This method would allow monitoring for radon ahead od construction which one would assume to be advantageous. In the USA this method is sometime used to assess radon levels. However it is very limited and in the UK may result in complications. Rather than having prescribed "safe" levels in the UK, we have "action levels", these cannot be manipulated to account for the use of accumulators and as such results from accumulators would have to be presented in direct comparison with these action levels. Results from accumulators are likely show higher concentration owing to a low ground area to sample air volume ratio, and thus results from accumulators would likely have a negative bearing on onward mitigation costs.
Radon Consultants Bristol
Radon Consultants Exeter
Radon Consultants London
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S.D. Content Radon Consultants Bristol - 01173 270 092 Exeter - 01398 331 258 London - 02076 920 670 |
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