Coalition under fire for not funding Radon scheme
Results released yesterday of a survey carried out in the Castleisland area of Co Kerry by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) showed 14% of the houses tested there had concentrations of radon gas above the recommended level. One house had a concentration of 6,184 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m3) more than 30 times above the national reference level of 200 Bq/m3. Anything above the reference level is considered dangerous.
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is colourless, odourless and tasteless and, once in a building, decays to produce radioactive particles which can cause lung cancer. The gas ranks second only to smoking as a cause of the disease, with 150 to 200 lung cancer deaths attributed to radon each year.
The RPII estimates that some 91,000 Irish homes have radon concentrations above the reference level.
Labour Party spokesman Emmet Stagg yesterday criticised the Government for not funding a scheme to help householders deal with excessive radon levels in their homes.
As Energy Minister in the Rainbow Coalition, Mr Stagg sanctioned a remediation scheme that was forecast to cost in the region of E5 million.
However, the incoming Fianna Fáil-PD Coalition failed to fund it.
"The decision was taken not to proceed with the grant scheme," a Department of Environment spokesman said yesterday. "The resources weren't there for it."
He added that "it was never properly quantified as to how many people might apply for this grant", meaning the Government was unsure as to how much it would cost in the long term.
Mr Stagg said it was now imperative that the scheme be funded in order to prevent deaths.
"This survey must jolt the Government into action. By restoring the grant scheme, householders would be able to take preventative measures. Even from a cold economic stance, prevention is cheaper than treatment." The RPII says the only reliable way to know the radon concentration in a house is to have it tested.
Remedial action can then be taken to address high concentrations of the gas.
However, the radon testing kit costs E40, and if high levels are found, addressing the problem can cost around 2,000, depending on the size of the house.
The cost factor, allied to general ignorance of the long-term risks involved, is one of the reasons why more people do not take steps to combat the problem.
Out of 2,500 households in the Castleisland area contacted by the RPII for its survey, just 413 were prepared to pay the E40 for the testing kits, and only 377 returned them for analysis.
The Castleisland survey was undertaken after one of the highest concentrations of radon ever recorded was discovered last July in the house of a local woman who had died from lung cancer.
The woman's husband also developed the disease, and is continuing treatment.
Doctors were initially baffled that both husband and wife had developed lung cancer, as neither smoked.
It was then suggested to the husband that he check the house for radon, at which point a measurement of 49,000 Bq/m3 was discovered.
