The Ionising Radiation (Basic Safety Standards) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2018

PART 4 Radon

Indoor exposure to radon

8.—(1) The Secretary of State must set a reference level for the exposure of members of the public to indoor radon concentrations. The reference level for the annual average radon activity concentration in air must not exceed 300 becquerels per cubic metre.

(2) In this regulation, “reference level” means the level of activity concentration above which optimisation of radiation protection for members of the public must be prioritised.

Requirement to publish information regarding radon

9.  The Secretary of State must publish information on—

(a) indoor radon exposure and associated health risks;

(b) the importance of performing radon measurements; and

(c) the technical means available for reducing existing radon concentrations.

Radon action plan

10.—(1) The Secretary of State must establish a national plan (“the action plan”) addressing long-term health risks from any source of radon ingress (whether from soil, building material or water) to—

(a) dwellings;

(b) buildings with public access; and

(c) workplaces.

(2) The action plan must—

(a) take into account relevant issues identified in Annex XVIII to the Basic Safety Standards Directive; and

(b) be updated at intervals of no more than five years.

New buildings

11.  The Scottish Ministers, the Welsh Ministers, a Northern Ireland department and the Secretary of State must each exercise their functions to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to prevent radon ingress into new buildings.

Areas of high radon concentration

12.  The Secretary of State must identify areas where the radon concentration (expressed as an annual average) in a significant number of buildings is expected to exceed the relevant reference level set under regulation 8.