Reassurance on radon gas found in schools

REMEDIAL action will be taken in three Oldham schools to reduce levels of a natural gas that can increase the risk of cancer.

Oldham Council has carried out radon tests at 34 schools as part of national health and safety assessments and found that in some limited areas of Blue Coat, Werneth Primary and Holy Cross Primary, they need to be reduced.

Long-term exposure to high levels of radon — a radioactive gas you cannot see, smell or taste — can increase the risk of lung cancer. But health chiefs have reassured residents that the levels found were slightly above action levels and the risks are very low. It does not require urgent action.

Monitoring will continue at the three schools for eight weeks and then measures taken to reduce the level, such as building work to seal leaks and disperse the radon.

Radon comes from a tiny amount of uranium found in all rocks and soils that seeps into the environment. It disperses quickly outdoors but can become trapped in buildings.

Twenty years ago it was found that radon can harm health and maps were prepared to show levels.

In some areas, such as Cornwall and Derbyshire, levels can be high and it is a well-known issue. In Oldham only 20 per cent of the borough, and less than one in 100 buildings, is affected and levels are relatively low.

It is present in all buildings, including homes, and is breathed in by everyone, accounting for about half of UK residents’ total annual radiation dose.

People have been exposed to radon for millennia — but the lower the level the lower the risk, prompting the national initiative to monitor it.

Oldham is one of the first areas in the North-West and Midlands to get the results.

Dr Lorraine Lighton, from the Health Protection Agency (HPA), said: “We understand that some people may be concerned that the levels in these three schools are above the point at which we need to take action.

“However, I want to reassure the public that the risks are very low for the relatively short period needed to bring these levels down.”

Of the 33,000 deaths from lung cancer every year in the UK, between 1,000 and 2,000 are related to radon, though the majority of these are smokers carrying an already greater risk. Newer buildings already have radon protection measures in place.

Oldham’s director of public health, Alan Higgins, said: “Similar radon levels to those found at these Oldham schools have been found in many workplaces — including schools — elsewhere across the country.

“We are following well-established national procedures to limit risks to staff and pupils, and can assure people that any action needed will be taken.”

Chris Hill, assistant director for learning and attainment at Oldham Council, said: “The HPA have advised us, and the head teachers that the school routine should continue as normal.

“There is therefore no need to remove children from school or keep them at home.”

Information on radon, and the risk in your home, is available by logging on to www.ukradon.org