A MAJOR research project commissioned by the Scottish Government will probe the environmental and other risks posed by former mine workings across Scotland.

RSKW Ltd, an RSK group company based in Stirling, will lead the project which will be jointly delivered by RSKW and RSK’s Glasgow-based geosciences division.

They will investigate the prevalence of carbon dioxide in disused mineral mines in Scotland and assess the implications for new residential buildings.

Some 26 of the 32 local authority districts in Scotland have areas within them designated as a former mine workings.

The decision to commission the research follows a report by NHS Lothian’s incident management team published in December 2017 on reported cases of ill-health affecting residents on a recently built local authority housing estate in Gorebridge, Midlothian, a previous mining area.

According to the report, 22 residents from a total of 165 in the affected area contacted healthcare services between September 2013 and September 2014 complaining of headaches, dry coughs, dizziness and anxiety. The investigation concluded that the high-levels of carbon dioxide detected in their properties were of historical coal mine origin.

RSKW stated: “The ground gas was most likely from elevated levels of oxidising coal deposits producing carbon dioxide in the abandoned coal workings. Changes in atmospheric pressure and other factors had caused the carbon dioxide to migrate to the surface.”

The incident management team’s report made recommendations relating to Scottish building regulations and new builds. It advised that mine gas mitigation measures should be mandatory in new residential developments in areas the Coal Authority designated as former mining areas.

The Scottish Government wants to explore how typical the team’s findings from the Gorebridge incident might be if the Scottish building regulations were not modified. The three-month research programme will cover all the former mining areas in Scotland. It will also inform any necessary action.

Andrew Gunning, project manager and partner with RSKW, said: “We are very pleased to be carrying out this important research project for Scottish Government to assess the prevalence of carbon dioxide in disused mineral mines and the implications for residential buildings. We look forward to working with all the relevant stakeholders.”

Tom Henman, project technical adviser for RSK, said: “This work will build on our previous experience of undertaking environmental research projects and supporting the development of technical guidance on ground gases.”

RSKW and RSK will be holding a stakeholder engagement event in Livingston on November 8.

The company is also looking for examples of earlier incidents involving the impacts of carbon dioxide arising from old mine workings in Scotland.