Introduction to the UK National Radon Forum

The National Radon Forum is a new initiative aimed at bringing people together who have a role to play in helping to reduce the risk from radon in the UK. It will meet annually and bring together radon scientists, national and local governmental representatives including Environmental Health and Building Control officers, remediation companies, house builders, building contractors, materials suppliers, equipment manufacturers, measurement companies and representatives from the property buying and selling industry.

The UK National Radon Forum is being established as part of the European Radon Research and Industry Collaboration Concerted Action (ERRICCA 2) project which is being funded by the European Commission. ERRICCA 2 's remit is "to establish a European scientific led industrial forum aimed at reducing risks to health from radiation (principally radon) in the built environment".

The Forum is one of twenty fora being established across Europe all of which will be linked to a European Radon Forum as part of ERRICCA 2. Once established each Forum will be linked via the World Wide Web creating a network of radon information sources that will be freely accessible to anyone working in radon across Europe.

Meetings will give attendees the opportunity to listen to presentations about European, National and local radon activities, as well as allowing them the opportunity to air their own concerns about the current and future direction of radon management via open discussion sessions.

Forum meetings will consider the following topic areas:-

  • How to increase public awareness and confidence
  • Building materials - the development of common protocols for :-
  • measuring radon emanation from building materials
  • testing radon barrier materials
  • Protection of new buildings
  • Remediation measures for existing buildings
  • Common measurement and mapping protocols

BRE are acting as co-ordinators for ERRICCA 2 and have responsibility for organising the UK National Radon Forum. Also representing the UK are the National Radiological Protection Board and the Radon Council Limited.

It is intended that each meeting of the Forum will take place in a different part of the country affected by radon - the first of these meetings taking place in Spring 2002 in Matlock Bath in collaboration with the Derbyshire Radon Steering Group.

For those unfamiliar with the Derbyshire Radon Steering Group it is a highly successful local authority led group which meets approximately six monthly to discuss radon issues. It brings together local government representatives in environmental health, housing, building control, and others working in radon across the Midlands as well as National agencies including representatives from DEFRA, DTLR, HSE, BRE, NRPB and BGS.

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April 2002