The government may soon face legal action over radon gas levels at Lindholme prison, following the closure of Dartmoor jail due to similar concerns. Ministry of Justice officials have ordered radon detection equipment to be installed at the South Yorkshire facility after prisoners reported symptoms like headaches and fever. Radon, a naturally occurring gas, is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking in the UK and there are concerns that levels at Lindholme could exceed the domestic safety limit.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson stated that radon monitoring is being conducted at HMP Lindholme as a precautionary measure. No prisoners have been relocated from the jail as yet. In April, the Observer revealed that about 500 former inmates and staff at Dartmoor are taking legal action after being exposed to dangerously high levels of radon for years. Kesar and Co, the law firm representing them, is also representing prisoners at Lindholme.
Violeta Hansen, a Danish radon expert advising the Dartmoor prisoners, stated that the high level of radon in the area had been known since at least 1987. She questioned why action was not taken earlier. Britain’s prison system is struggling with overcrowding and it is a logistical challenge to rehouse prisoners. According to Ben Leapman, editor of Inside Time, a free prisoners’ newspaper, there were only 553 places available across the men’s prison estate in England and Wales last week. He said the radon levels in the prison were a cause for concern as prisoners spent a majority of their time in their cells.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/20/doncaster-prisoners-could-sue-government-over-exposure-to-radon-gas
