Radon guidelines not enough, says Stagg

Mary Dundon, Political Reporter

Around 100,000 homes were identified as having excessive radon gas levels in May by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII).

The Government’s only response to this was to adjust building regulations introduced in 1997 to further protect new houses against radon gas, Labour spokesman Emmet Stagg said. “Despite 200 lung cancer deaths every year attributed to this radon gas, and periodic instances of excessive levels in homes nationwide, nothing is being done to combat radon in homes built before the 1997,” he added.

Mr Roche could at least have restored the Remediation Grants Scheme to allow householders to take preventative measures against radon gas, he said.

“Prevention is cheaper than treatment,” he said.

Mr Stagg claimed it has taken the Government years to acknowledge the problem of radon gas. The best advice former Environment Minister Martin Cullen could give to people was to “open the windows”, he said.

“Lung cancer deaths from radon gas are preventable, and now that measures have been successfully introduced on smoking, it is time for action on lung cancer to be reinforced through action on radon gas,” Mr Stagg said.

The Department of the Environment had not responded at the time of going to press.