Thousands of homes warned to check killer gas

Political Reporter

The highest level of radon gas ever found in Europe was detected in the Co Kerry home of a woman who died of lung cancer, and now her husband has also developed the disease. Eight of their neighbours have also developed cancer.

Doctors were baffled that both husband and wife had developed lung cancer because neither of them smoked. Her husband was urged to check his home for radon gas.

“Anyone who lived in that woman’s house for the past 20 years has a one-in-four chance of contracting lung cancer if they are non-smokers,” Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) principal scientific officer Tony Colgan warned.

Two hundred people die of lung cancer here every year because of exposure to the naturally-occurring radon gas, according to the RPII.

The RPII has sent out warning letters to more than 2,500 householders living within the high-risk radon gas grid that surrounds the woman’s home in the Castleisland and Tralee area.

“These people could be exposed to very high levels of radon gas and do not know it, because it is odourless, colourless and tasteless and we want them to get it measured professionally,” Mr Colgan said.

But people have not taken the warning seriously and only three people have phoned the RPII freephone number for advice. “People think because radon is a naturally occurring gas it will not harm them, but long-term exposure to it greatly increases the chances of lung cancer,” Mr Colgan said.

Nationally, 91,000 households could be exposed to dangerously high levels of radon gas in 10 counties, including Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Kerry, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wicklow and Wexford.

The RPII frequently publishes warnings to people in these areas to have their houses professionally checked and treated for radon gas. It believes a national grant scheme would be a major incentive to people to get their homes checked.

Six years ago, former Energy Minister Emmet Stagg sanctioned a 5 million grant scheme to help people get rid of radon gas, but the money was never provided by successive Fianna Fáil/ Progressive Democrats coalitions.

“It is unbelievable that this money was not provided when they know 200 people die of lung cancer here every year because of radon gas,” Mr Stagg said. The Department of the Environment said it was not possible to provide funding for this grant scheme because of budgetary constraints.