PARTS of Portland and Upwey in Weymouth are at risk from radon, a report identifies.

The findings are revealed in a new survey of 460,000 homes across England and Wales by the Health Protection Agency and the British Geological Survey.

Experts say that radon gas is known to be a cause of lung cancer.

Council community health spokesman Tim Munro said: "The facts about possible radon presence in Weymouth and Portland came to light during general research into radon levels across the UK.

"The environmental health team in accordance with the Health and Safety Executive have been bringing it to the attention of local businesses."

The new data replaces the 2002 Radon Atlas of England and Wales.

A report on the new findings from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's environmental health team says that employers in a radon affected area must carry out an assessment of health and safety risks.

Action will be needed to restrict employee exposure if radon amounts are above 400 becquerels per cubic metre, says the report. It adds that the action level for domestic premises is only 200Bqm, half that for business sites because most people spend a larger proportion of their time at home than at work.

The findings are far more detailed than previous data.

Weymouth and Portland head of environmental health Tony Beeson explained: "Our advice to people in risk areas is to visit the HPA website - www.hpa.org.uk - which provides specific information on what radon is and how to check for it.

"This normally involves a small plastic container with a piece of radon-sensitive film in it being placed in a property to check for its presence over a period of weeks, normally during winter.

"People who live at first floor level and above are less at risk and Weymouth and Portland itself is a lower risk area because of the type of soil it sits on.

"But porous rocks on parts of Portland and at the foot of Ridgeway do allow deep ground gas to percolate to the surface.

"The risk is slightly higher in these areas than in other parts of the borough."

Factfile . . .

  • RADON is a natural radio-active gas which is a decay product of uranium.
  • It occurs in very small amounts in many rocks and soils, often seeping out into buildings where it can build up in poorly ventilated spaces such as basements, cellars or in ground floor buildings.
  • Radon is found in all parts of the UK, usually at low levels.
  • How much of the gas there may be in buildings varies during the day, from one day to the next and from winter to summer due to temperature differences between indoors and outside.