Truro declared the UK’s most radioactive gas hotspot as a warning is issued

Truro tops the list of Britain’s most radioactive gas hotspots, according to new data. Radon levels in the city of Cornwall are much higher than anywhere else in the country, reaching 70%.

Plymouth is second with 29 percent. Although every building in the country contains radon, it is much higher in the Southwest and experts advise residents to take a test to check how safe your home is.

Radioactive gas needs special equipment to detect because we can’t see, smell or taste it. Radon comes from rocks and soil found all over the UK.

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The level of radon in the air we breathe outside is very low, but it can be higher inside buildings, the Daily Star reports. There are parts of the UK where levels are higher than they should be, with warnings now issued as Truro leads a new ‘hotspot’ list.

Certain areas of the UK were identified as having higher than acceptable levels, prompting urgent warnings. A study by Go Compare Home Insurance placed Plymouth and Northampton alongside Truro in the top three hotspots. No other area in Cornwall features in the top ten.

The research, which used data from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive, identified these areas as having the most postcode districts where homes are most likely (a 30% chance or higher) to exceed the level of government action on radon.

At this stage, it is recommended that radon levels in homes be reduced. The South West of England features three times in the top five, indicating particularly high levels of radon in this region. Exposure to high levels of radon can affect health and is believed to be one of the main causes of lung cancer.

Rebecca Coates, who leads radon projects at PropertECO Ltd, urged: “I strongly recommend that anyone who lives in a designated radon affected area get their home tested as it is the only way to find out what level of radon you are exposed to you and your family at.

“The cost of a home radon test is roughly equivalent to getting your car MOT’d, which we all do every year to make sure it’s safe to drive. Most of us spend a lot more time in our homes than in our cars, so it should be a no-brainer to check that our homes are safe, and if the results are low, you probably won’t need to test again for 10 years.”

The top ten locations most affected by radon include:.

Truro – 70 percent.

Plymouth – 29 percent.

Northampton – 26 per cent.

Torquay – 21 per cent.

Bathroom – 16 percent.

Lancaster – nine percent.

Sheffield – five percent.

Derby – five percent.

Gloucester – four percent.

Peterborough – three percent.

For more details about the study and information about how aware people are of radon risks, go to Go. Comparison.