CURRENT INTERESTING TOPICS

In this web site we will be discussing various interesting topics relating to the surveying and property field. These topics will be changed regularly to keep this section of the web "fresh". Our comments are entirely our own and gleaned from our own experience, our own readings and our own opinions. If you wish to obtain more information and advice then you should contact the various specialists in the subjects concerned.

Radon is a phenomenon that has raised its head in the last few years. The gas has been with us for millenia, it is just that it has come into the public sphere and has entered into the public perception only in relatively recent years. This has largely been due to exposure in the press and literature.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas emanating from igneous-type rock (such as volcanic sub-strata) that rises up through the ground. In some circumstances and in some areas it can accumulate in buildings. There is a fear that it can cause ill health, usually cancers, if a resident is exposed to the gas for prolonged periods. It is our understanding that the link between radon and cancer has not actually yet been proven and that research by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) is continuing.

Radon can be very selective. We recently surveyed one building near Bath where the vendor had had remedial work carried out in response to very high radon readings, whilst the house next door was completely free.

What to do? Luckily (for the property market) the public at large appear quite unfazed by this phenomenon. Most purchasers have probably heard about this gas by now but as far as we are aware it has not caused any blighting of property and we have not heard of any particular fears and concerns by the property-buying public. Most people seem to consider that they have more pressing matters to worry about. It is of course necessary to keep matters in perspective - be aware of the situation, read about the subject in literature from the NRPB or the Local Authority and decide accordingly. In order for the NRPB to analyse as many buildings in as many areas as possible we are aware that they provide DIY testing kits through the post which are placed in two rooms in a house, left for three months or so and then sent back for analysis. If, after testing a particular building, the readings are above a certain level (measured in Becherels) then there is the option of having remedial work carried out. In existing buildings this usually involves the laying of channels or conduits in the ground floor structure connected to a pump and pipe system to extract any radon gas in the building out into the atmosphere. In proportion to the value of the property the cost of this work is usually minimal.

In the Bath area, the main areas of Radon accumulation are down near Shepton Mallet, and in sporadic areas in the general north Somerset area. We are aware of high readings in some houses near Midsomer Norton and in the Wellsway in Bath. As the NRPB receive more data from testing over the years, the Radon "map" will obviously grow. Just because an area has no particular "reputation" for Radon accumulations it does not mean that there are none, it may just be that buildings in that particular area have yet to be tested.

As with Radon, asbestos, lead, contaminated land, mines and other such phenomena, Valuers/Surveyors have to tread an awkward line between reporting such features but guarding against scare mongering. These features have to be kept in perspective and it is often very difficult to put across a certain feature in the correct manner in a report. If there is a genuine, potentially serious matter then of course it has to be brought to the attention of the client, the lender and/or the insurer and a comment made on any effect on value or saleability.