Radon levels found in Wicklow drinking water

THE Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland has admitted it has no plans to notify communities in Wicklow where potentially dangerous high levels of radon have been found in drinking water supplies.

It follows publication of the results of a pilot study by the RPII yesterday which showed 2.4% of houses surveyed in the county recorded levels of the gas above official safety limits.

A survey of drinking water supplies in 166 houses in Co Wicklow identified four residences with radon concentrations above the European Commission’s recommended safety level.

One sample taken in Glencree village recorded a reading of almost six times the safety limit of 1,000 becquerels per litre. Radon levels in other samples taken in Blessington, Hollywood and Tullow were also above this figure.

Although the RPII contacted all households which recorded high readings to advise them on how to take remedial action, an RPII spokesperson said the Institute had no plans to contact other people living in the adjoining areas who could be using water from the same source.

“The Institute advises that all householders using private ground water supplies as their primary source of water should have their supply tested for radon. Where the EC recommended value of 1,000 becquerels per litre is exceeded remedial action should be taken to reduce the radon concentration,” said the spokesperson.

Householders in affected areas are being encouraged to boil all water which “effectively removes 99.9% of radon”, he added.

The spokesperson said there was no real concern about public water supplies as most radon was removed after it had travelled some distance. Based on the results of the pilot study, the RPII believes that up to 4,000 private wells across the country may have high concentrations of radon gas.

The RPII selected Co Wicklow for the pilot study because of the known high levels of radon in the soil in the county. The geology of Wicklow is predominantly granite which contains high concentration of uranium - the metal from which radon is derived.

The Institute conducted tests on private ground water supplies, mostly individual wells, which are used as the principal source of drinking water. The study did not examine water consumption levels among the high risk households, although exposure to radon is known to cause various forms of cancer.

The authors of the RPII report said it was not possible to evaluate the extent to which radon might be implicated in the 476 cases of stomach cancer recorded annually in Ireland.

The RPII said it was also unaware of any commercial products designed to reduce radon levels in drinking water supplies being available on the Irish market. Such equipment which aerates water at its inlet source to remove radon and costs several thousand euro is used widely in Scandinavia. Under a new EU directive, local authorities will be expected to provide grants for householders seeking to install such equipment in their homes from next year.

The RPII estimates that 7% of all homes in Ireland have levels of radon gas above recognised safety levels.