Project to protect against deadly gas

MORE than 200 people die from exposure to radon gas each year. The stark figures were the inspiration behind a project by two students from Loughrea in Co Galway, who may have found a solution to the growing problem.

Mide Callanan and Edel Flynn, both 16 and from St Brigid’s Vocational School, presented impressed spectators and interested judges with a prototype of the ideal home that protects the occupants from the dangers of radon gas.

The wooden structure, built with the help of classmates in woodwork class, provides a practical method of laying out a home that is insulated from the harmful toxins of the gas.

Several layers of sand, stone, concrete and a special membrane covering lie between the origins of the radon and the actual home in the miniature house. Both Edel and Mide claim it is a simple structure which could wipe out radon-related problems in homes of the future.

Mide and Edel surveyed 1,000 people in the Loughrea area to gauge the experiences locals had with the gas and to seek ideas on how Ireland should deal with the problem.

Their research revealed worrying statistics and found that between 160 and 200 people die from the effects of colourless, odourless and tasteless gas every year. One house was found to have radon levels 250 times above what is considered to be a safe average.

“It is a big problem, not just for Ireland but for countries all over the world,” added Mide.