To crap myself about radon

[Radonargh]

I'm a single mum. Finances are tight. I have 2 young dc and have just bought a house with elevated radon levels currently measuring about 130 bq per meter cubed. I don't have the financial resources to do mitigation work and im worried about the effect on me and the children. I've already mortgaged myself to the hilt. So I won't be able to get a loan. Advice please??!?!

You're only just above the target level and below the action level, so it's not totally hideous.

However, the time to do something about it, given your financial situation, was pre-exchange, as you could've at least asked the seller to do something.

Well, I'm from Aberdeen and we're all thoroughly irradiated thanks to the granite the city's built on and of.

I assume you knew about it in advance, so why did you buy it?

Ventilate regularly. You can get a meter to check levels but tbh what @ThatsMySantaHisBeardIsSoFluffy said.

Firstly it's below the action level so don't panic. The easiest (cheapest) way to reduce levels is to leave windows, at least two, cracked open on the ground level.
Don't use extractor fans without a window open (reduces air pressure drawing radon in).

The rest depends on construction really.

Cover any bare earth under floorboards with oversite damp proof membrane sealed to foundations however works best. That will probably mean lifting some boards but any handyperson could do it rather than calling in expensive specialists.

If slabs floors seal any gaps between slab and walls with frame sealant.

The town I’m in is all granite. No one gives a crap.

Thanks all. I did it have a radon bond in place before buying but the seller did his own spurious test and proclaimed it lower. I believed him and he took the bond off at the last minute.

Caveat emptor, I'm afraid. What was your solicitor's advice?

That's what housing insurance is for, sort it out using that x

Solicitor was a bit crap. Was poopooing the fact I was concerned.

Unfortunately I don't think housing insurance covers it.

How do you measure the radon level? I have no idea what mine is. How much above the recommendation is your home?

Just ventilate the ground floor. Radon is a gas that comes up from the bedrock. It rises upwards and causes problems because it get trapped within the house.
So you simply leave a few windows on ground floor cracked. In winter, just opening a few for 20mins a day is enough to clear it out.
If you have an open chimney, that works to pull the radon up and out too.

www.ukradon.org/information/reducelevels
read round the site - the most important thing is to not smoke cigarettes

Honestly, although there is a small risk at that level its on a par with car emissions, eating bacon, drinking alcohol etc. Follow the advice in here about ventilation and don't worry ant more about it.

If you don't smoke the risk is tiny, please don't worry about it. The advice about opening windows is good, we are at a small risk from lots of other factors so radon at the level you quote doesn't significantly increase that risk.

Tonight. Argh. Can't leave downstairs windows open at night for security reasons. Seems to build up quickly in the day.

Thanks @helpfulperson and @BarbaraofSeville.

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