Private school staff and pupils exposed to radioactive gas

A PRIVATE boarding school has been fined £50,000 after exposing pupils and employees to high levels of the naturally occurring radioactive gas radon, which can lead to lung cancer

- Tara Fair

A Health and Safety Executive investigation found five pupils at the Kingswood School in Bath, Somerset, were exposed to radon levels almost eight times the legal limit.

Two other children who were not pupils at the school were exposed to levels almost 14 times the legal limit.

Two employees at Kingswood, which charges up to £40,000 a year for boarders, were also exposed to high levels of the gas.

The probe found the school was aware it had an issue with high levels of radon in some buildings in 2007 and carried out remedial work at that stage to reduce concentrations.