User guide : radon potential for Great Britain

Developed by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA, formerly Public Health England (PHE)), the radon potential data informs about the likelihood of a property having a radon level being at or above the Action Level for dwellings in Great Britain. The data provides information about ground conditions relating to health protection of the occupants (dwellings). This product was developed as studies have shown that long-term exposure to elevated levels of radon, the biggest source of ionising radiation dose to the average UK citizen, increases the risk of lung cancer. The dataset combines Indoor Radon Measurements (560740 records) and Geology (at 1:50 000 scale). The output provides an assessment of the likelihood of a dwelling having a radon concentration at or above the Action Level based on its location. The data does not provide the actual radon level within a specific dwelling. The outputs are classified using the Affected Area levels defined by UKHSA and Radon Protection levels (based on BR 211 guidance (Radon: Guidance on protective measures for new buildings BRE 211 (Scivyer 2015) ) indicating where it may be necessary to apply preventative measures in new buildings and extensions. The dataset citation, metadata and overview can be found here: British Geological Survey, UK Health Security Agency (2021): Radon potential for Great Britain version 3.0. British Geological Survey. (Dataset). https://doi.org/10.5285/0a2a29b5-ac3f-4909-9d48-d08c12572c35 The information provided in this User Guide is intended to provide a quick-start guide to using and understanding this UKHSA/BGS data product version 3. This user guide was last updated 1st May 2024.