Cancer-causing radon gas scare at Inverness Justice Centre brings senior Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service directors from Edinburgh to Highlands for talks
Worried Inverness Justice Centre users hit by a health scare over cancer-causing gas met today with senior Scottish court officials.
Members of staff, lawyers, social workers, media and other users of the £24 million building were given a full briefing on latest findings by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) after the revelations of seven days ago.
HOW WE BROKE THE NEWS: Inverness Justice Centre in health scare over cancer-causing radon gas levels
Opened just three years ago, we revealed last Friday that dangerously elevated levels of radon gas had been recorded in parts of the Longman Road building.
Certain areas were evacuated and staff were moved to other parts of the building to avoid “potential harm”.
Radon, while naturally-occurring, is a gas produced by the natural radioactive decay of uranium, which is found in all rocks and soils.
With certain levels of exposure, it can significantly increase the risk of lung cancer, particularly when inhaled in high concentrations over long periods of time.
It is odourless and colourless, meaning exposure can go unnoticed before significant damage is done.
The risk is said to be especially high for smokers and ex-smokers.
At the meeting within the justice centre, those potentially affected by the problem were told what measures were being taken to reduce future risk.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service said: “The safety of our staff and all who use our buildings is our primary concern.
“SCTS Executive Directors visited Inverness Justice Centre today to answer any questions from staff, judiciary and other people working in the building, following the discovery of elevated levels of radon in two rooms on the ground floor.
“Throughout all of this, SCTS has based its decisions on the expert advice we have received and will continue to do so.
“We have undertaken various measures to ensure the safety of all those who use the building, such as increasing ventilation throughout the building and increasing monitoring, while also considering what measures we can take longer term to address the underlying issue.
“We will also continue to communicate regularly with the various organisations who use the building to keep them up to date.”
We broke the news of the health scare last week after being shown a leaked memo from Ruth Thomson, Sheriff Clerk with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.
It read: “I have been advised that raised levels of radon have been recorded in certain areas of the building. SCTS is communicating with those organisations affected.
“As a result, steps have been taken to relocate the staff who work within the Victim Support Scotland Office to another area of the building, to ensure they are protected from any potential harm.
“No further steps have been necessary at this time.
“The situation is being actively monitored and I am in liaison with property services and health and safety colleagues re any further action which requires to be taken to continue to ensure the safety of staff, occupants and building users.”
Further tests on radon levels within the building were carried out earlier this week with the worst-affected parts of the building believed to include the Victim Support Scotland (VSS) staff office and a storage cupboard in the custody area.
It is not yet known if other areas of concern have been identified after further testing.
