And have you suffered any consequences from it? My house has a radon reading of 2000 bequerels which is ten time over the recommended action limit. Other houses in Cornwall have had readings of 13,000 bqs. I have made repeated requests to my MP for a definitive study of lung cancer deaths in Cornwall, over twenty five years and the govt. will not fund it.
My doctor just laughs when we discuss it as he lives here as well. I know guys in their eighties who have lived with these levels constantly in their houses and, as boys used to walk through the arsenic mines at Devon Great Consoles and they are still here to tell the story.
The whole Radon issue has become a money making machine for surveyors, specialist companies and builders who trade on, what is in my opinion, highly questionable science.

I would agree that in some places people are making money from it. However I know of two close friends both who worked underground in high levels of radon, who just happened to die from very rare forms of lung cancer - caused probably by exposure to high levels. There were court cases to see when the exposure took place and who may responsible. The fact that it might not be instant but the effects may take several years to show doesn't help. Too much alcohol is bad for you so they say .... However exposure to high levels of any radiation is not good, but long term exposure to lower levels is just a not understood properly. However there is always money to be made with potential misey just look at the legal field !

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And have you suffered any consequences from it? My house has a radon reading of 2000 bequerels which is ten time over the recommended action limit. Other houses in Cornwall have had readings of 13,000 bqs. I have made repeated requests to my MP for a definitive study of lung cancer deaths in Cornwall, over twenty five years and the govt. will not fund it.
My doctor just laughs when we discuss it as he lives here as well. I know guys in their eighties who have lived with these levels constantly in their houses and, as boys used to walk through the arsenic mines at Devon Great Consoles and they are still here to tell the story.
The whole Radon issue has become a money making machine for surveyors, specialist companies and builders who trade on, what is in my opinion, highly questionable science.

Yeah Yeah and my granny smoked 50 fags a day and lived to be 150 years old, sorry but you cannot really compare a house environment with that of underground in a mining environment.
In a house you can open the windows and have access to cleaner air, no such luxury down the mines I'm afraid, ask anyone who worked down Crofty, in many places the air was really really bad.

It is clear that radon is a concern in our living environment that's why we have the NRPB (I still think they are around?)

"""And have you suffered any consequences from it?"""

When that large dose of radon was released from East Pool into Crofty I was there, six weeks later I left to go abroad mining....a lot of the lads I worked with down Crofty in that area died before their time through cancer, more than one would usually expect.

As for folks making a pile of money from the radon stuff all I can say is I have been in business and it's hard to make a pile of money out of anything these days.....

Radon and building regulations, a good thing in my opinion, the building regulations are there for the general good, you only have to look at the recent incident at the clothing factory in Bangladesh to realize that
Feel free to take a light hearted view of radon, that's your choice.

No offence.

Lozz.

Just one extra thought, for all those people who think that just because I don't work underground therefore I'm ok, not a problem. In the USA, the EPA restimate that over 20,000 people each year die from lung cancer caused by radon, which makes it one of the top five killers, most them don't work or spend time underground.

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When that large dose of radon was released from East Pool into Crofty I was there, six weeks later I left to go abroad mining....a lot of the lads I worked with down Crofty in that area died before their time through cancer, more than one would usually expect.



Lozz.

Hi Lozz,
When I worked in South Africa in 97, I knew a former Cambourne student, Adam Jackson, he worked at Crofty. He told me the same story, he said all men involved had died within 10 years. Radon sounds a scary gas that a lot of people don't know about.

When that large dose of radon was released from East Pool into Crofty I was there, six weeks later I left to go abroad mining....a lot of the lads I worked with down Crofty in that area died before their time through cancer, more than one would usually expect.



Lozz.

Hi Lozz,
When I worked in South Africa in 97, I knew a former Cambourne student, Adam Jackson, he worked at Crofty. He told me the same story, he said all men involved had died within 10 years. Radon sounds a scary gas that a lot of people don't know about.

Thanks for that, yes it is nasty stuff for sure, so far as I am aware it's down to ones lifetime exposure of whatever dose you receive, I'm no expert on the subject but I was down Crofty at that time and a lot of the blokes I worked with died before ones normal time.
I'm guessing that everyones suceptabilty level is different, one mans meat can be another mans poison as is often said.

The problem is that a lot of folk can't relate to it as you can't see it but it's there, just like UV radiation from the sun, X radiation etc etc. the dangerous effect of these invisible radiations is well known, folks go down the beach and lie down under the biggest thermo nuclear device in our solar system and wonder why their face looks like a bag o' spanners when they get older.

Lozz.