Prevalence of CO2 from disused mineral mines and the implications for residential buildings: research
In 2017 the NHS Lothian Incident Management Team investigated reported cases of ill health affecting residents of a recently built local authority housing estate. This research is looking for similar incidents and considers implications for building standards.
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2 Glossary
| Abbreviations | |
|---|---|
| BGS |
British Geological Survey |
| BSi |
British Standards Institution |
| CA |
The Coal Authority |
| CH4 |
Methane |
| CIRIA |
Construction Industry Research and Information Association |
| CL:AIRE |
Contaminated Land: Applications in Real Environments |
| CO |
Carbon monoxide |
| CO2 |
Carbon dioxide |
| CSM |
Conceptual site model, which represents the characteristics of a site in diagrammatic or written form that shows the possible relationships between contaminant sources, pathways and receptors. |
| DETR |
Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (now Defra) |
| EA |
Environment Agency (environmental regulator covering England) |
| GIS |
Geographical Information System – Digital mapping software to manage complex spatial data |
| H2S |
Hydrogen sulphide |
| HSE |
Health and Safety Executive |
| IMT report |
Gorebridge Report written by the Incident Management Team, NHS Lothian |
| LA |
Local Authority |
| LDP |
Local Development Plan |
| N2 |
Nitrogen gas |
| NHBC |
National House Building Council |
| NQMS |
National Quality Mark Scheme for land contamination |
| NHS |
National Health Service |
| O2 |
Oxygen |
| Ppm |
Parts per million |
| RA |
Risk assessment |
| Rn |
Radon |
| SEPA |
Scottish Environment Protection Agency |
| SG |
Scottish Government |
| SO2 |
Sulphur dioxide |
| SPR |
Source-Pathway-Receptor methodology used to assess land contamination risks as part of development of a conceptual site model |
| VOCs |
Volatile organic compounds |
| Technical terms |
|
| Adit |
Horizontal access or drainage passage into a mine |
| Atmospheric pressure |
The pressure excreted by the weight of air in the atmosphere |
| Characteristic gas situation (CS) |
Ground gas regime assumed for design of gas protective measures from the refined conceptual site model after an adequate site investigation (BSi, 2015) |
| Dewatering |
Removal or draining groundwater or surface water from a riverbed, construction site or mine shaft by pumping or evaporation |
| Drift |
Sub-horizontal passageway in a mine that may or may not intersect the surface |
| Gas resistant membrane |
A membrane placed above, below or within the floor slab construction (and walls of a basement) to restrict methane and carbon dioxide migration from the ground into a building (BSi, 2015) |
| Ground gas |
All gases occurring and generated within the ground whether in made ground or natural deposits (BSi, 2015) |
| Ground investigation |
A geotechnical or geological field assessment that is an essential part of a site investigation |
| Shaft |
A long, narrow hole or tunnel that provides access to a mine or provides ventilation |
| Site investigation |
The process of collating information, assessing data, and reporting on risks beneath a site |
| Solum |
The ground on which a building stands |
| Sump |
A device that creates a low-pressure void to draw gas into it and safely vent it away through an exhaust pipe |
| Verification |
The process of demonstrating that the risk has been reduced to meet remediation criteria and objectives (as opposed to the term used by Building Standards) |
| Vibro-stone column |
Crushed stone pillars below a structure that increase the soil’s load-bearing capacity |
Contact
Email: sarah.waugh@gov.scot
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