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Radon Gas! Sounds scary. Anyone any info on it?

9 replies

rattlesnake · 20/09/2017 22:30

We are buying a house in an area which has a medium risk of radon 3% - 5%. According to estate agent it is nothing to worry about as most homes contain a little of it! I've googled though that a medium risk area should be tested for, this takes about 3 months though. The house was build it 1997...would it have had any radon protection built in with it being not that old I wonder? Anyone have any advice?

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DelphiniumBlue · 20/09/2017 22:32

You can raise this via your solicitors with the sellers solicitors - there may well have been precautions taken back then.

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Spybot · 20/09/2017 22:42

I have purchased a property that had higher than safe levels of the radon gas. I had a mitigation system installed at the sellers expense and thought no more of it. Radon is a heavy gas, heavier than air and thus affects the bottom floor of a house. This was my basement so had system there. They say that living with a higher than safe radon level is like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, in terms of carcinogenic effects. This was in Massachusetts, there are higher levels of Radon there due to a lot of granite. I have since sold that house, with no problems.

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Spybot · 20/09/2017 22:44

Also, I had a radon test that took 48 hours, don't see why it should take longer but it was in a different country so maybe less labs for it there?

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RandomlyGenerated · 21/09/2017 08:04

Radon was well known by the 1980s and houses built after 1988 in Devon and Cornwall 1992 for Derbyshire, Northants and Somerset may well have reduction measures built in - most likely the basic level of protection, a radon proof membrane (doubt you would need full protection at that level, which would be a sump / underfloor venting). Ask your solicitor to check.

You can order the home measurement detectors from Public Health England - these are the ones that you leave in the house for 3 months then return for testing and they will advise if you need to do anything based on the results.

You can request a bond from the vendor in case of any remedial action required. Even if this is required it wouldn't be horrendously expensive.

Personally (and bearing in mind I did my engineering Masters dissertation on radon), I really wouldn't worry about it - the 3-5% level is still low.

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rattlesnake · 21/09/2017 09:21

Thanks Randomly..That's reassuring!

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gingerhousecat · 21/09/2017 19:30

You can call www.ukradon.org, we found them helpful

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specialsubject · 22/09/2017 09:31

Our nearest town is a radon area and my in laws were all brought up there. Only one head each.... More seriously, no cancer cluster.

Yes, anecdata, but it really is a tiny risk. The survey flags up a possibility.

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BrandNewHouse · 22/09/2017 10:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sophiedee · 21/09/2018 19:53

Hi Everyone,
I need some reassurance, We are buying a house in Corby, Northant and the searches came back for Radon Gas at 5-10%! The vendor had never tested the property and I have contacted the Airtech Environmental Systems for some advice and I was told that my solicitor could hold a retention fee of £2000 to carry out test etc. We have young children who has asthma and respiratory problems and this 5 - 10% is alarmingly high! What do I do? I want to cancel the the deal because I rather pay a few hundred quids to the solicitors now than end up stuck with a house full of radon gas when trying to sell later on in the future. Help please!!!!

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