Renfrewshire Council

Radon is a naturally occurring gas which we can't see, smell or taste. It is released by the natural radioactive decay of very small amounts of uranium within rocks and soils and is found everywhere in the UK. 

Radon in buildings and homes 

Outdoors, radon levels are low. Every building has radon, usually at low levels, but it can build up inside buildings. 

In some areas, radon levels in buildings could be higher because of the types of rocks and soils underneath them.  

You can use the free online interactive map from UKradon to search for where you live or work. UKradon also has expert advice and information for homeowners and employers including how to order a radon risk report or monitoring kit for your property. 

• Visit the Ukradon website 

• Use the interactive map to check your address (UK radon website) 

• Phone the UKradon advice line on 01235 822 622. 

Risk from radon 

We all breathe in radon every day, usually at very low levels. It makes up around half our annual exposure to radiation. The health risk from radon comes from exposure over a long time and contact with radon does not cause sudden sickness.  

Long-term exposure to radon can increase the risk of lung cancer. The risk from radon is significantly greater for smokers and higher for ex-smokers. There is no evidence radon causes any other health impact. 

A recent NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde public health study found no difference in the apparent risk of lung cancer between radon affected areas of Renfrewshire and the wider Greater Glasgow and Clyde area over a 5-year period. 

Read more about radon risk information (on UKradon website). 

Our radon monitoring and compliance programme 

Key facts

Here's the key facts about radon and what's happening:

• we are all breathing in radon everywhere we go, every day
• every building has radon
• we're monitoring radon levels in some specific council buildings and homes to assess the actual levels of radon and take action to reduce them if needed
• this is because national agencies have changed how they classify the local underlying ground conditions
• it doesn't mean more radon is being released in Renfrewshire, and there is no evidence to suggest this
• the public health data suggests radon affected parts of Renfrewshire do not have a higher rate of related illness compared to the wider NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

What we're doing

We're working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to monitor for radon at some council homes, buildings, schools and nurseries. Our monitoring programme forms part of compliance with workplace health and safety legislation and ensures our homes are safe for our tenants. We'll assess the actual levels of radon and then carry out works to reduce them if this is needed. 

Why we're doing this

We're doing this as the UKHSA and British Geological Survey reclassified some specific areas of Renfrewshire as having a higher potential for radon. This is based on their use of a different statistical model and does not mean there has been any actual change to the amount of radon being released or any change to the underlying geology. 

Which council buildings and homes we're monitoring 

We're monitoring in council buildings and homes where there is a higher potential for radon. 

Council homes 

We're monitoring for radon from June 2025 at 292 ground floor properties in:

• Bridge of Weir
• Elderslie
• Johnstone
• Paisley
• Renfrew. 

Monitoring is focused on ground floor council properties as radon enters buildings from the ground, so levels here are likely to be at their highest. 

We're writing to these tenants explaining what's happening and they'll then receive a monitoring pack from the UKHSA with simple instructions on what to do. We're also providing information to other tenants and homeowners in shared buildings about what's happening. 

The monitoring programme includes council properties in the Howwood Road area of Johnstone where we're building 70 new homes as part of wider improvements in this area. These new homes are being built with measures to stop radon from entering and we'll test the levels of radon once tenants move in to ensure these measures are working. 

Nursery and school buildings

We're monitoring for radon from August 2025 at 5 nursery and school buildings:

• Ferguslie Early Learning and Childcare Centre
• Fordbank Primary School
• Kirklandneuk Primary School
• Thorn Primary School
• West Johnstone Shared Campus (Cochrane Castle Primary School, St David's Primary School and West Johnstone Early Learning and Childcare Centre).

Other council buildings 

We are finalising the details of around 15 leased, operational and public council owned buildings, as well as any council buildings across Renfrewshire with basements being accessed and used regularly. We are aiming to start monitoring in these buildings from July 2025. 

How monitoring works 

Monitoring is only effective when a building or home is in use. It uses small, harmless, plastic detectors which are left in place for 3 months. The detectors do not emit anything and do not collect anything dangerous. 

What happens once monitoring is finished 

The UKHSA will take the detectors and analyse the results with the full process taking around 5 months. We'll review the results and if radon levels in a building or home are too high, we'll carry out works to reduce them. We'll also consider if more monitoring is needed. 

Contact us about our monitoring programme 

Contact us by email e-prot.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk