Public meetings to highlight radon gas hazard

NATURALLY-OCCURRING radon gas, which kills 200 people each year, is so high in parts of south Cork and Cobh that public meetings are planned for next month to highlight the hazard.

As many as one in six homes in the Cobh and south Cork region may have high levels of radon gas, according to the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII).

“Much of Cobh and south Cork are classified as high radon areas. In Cobh, some 16% of the homes the RPII has measured have high radon levels.

“This compares with 10% of homes in the rest of the county,” Mr David Fenton, manager of the RPII’s radon advice section, said.

“Many local people could be receiving significant radiation doses which they don’t know about. If you have high radon levels in your home you and your family could be receiving radiation doses equivalent to several chest X-rays per day, putting you and your family at increased risk of developing lung cancer,” he added.

Radon gas is responsible for up to 200 lung cancer deaths in Ireland each year, according to RPII data.

The killer gas is easily measured and if high levels are found they can be easily reduced. This is the key message the RPII will give during two public meetings in Cobh aimed at highlighting the hazards of radon.

The meetings, organised by Cobh Town Council, will be held in the Community Centre, Cobh at 3pm and 8pm on Tuesday, February 3. The meetings are free and all are welcome.

Over 91,000 homes throughout Ireland are thought to have radon concentrations above the national reference level.

Nationally, the RPII has tested over 35,000 homes, but to date only 4,500 homes with high radon levels have been identified. This is just 5% of the number of homes predicted to have high levels of radon.

“People are not carrying out radon tests possibly due to a lack of knowledge, and also perhaps due to the anxiety that finding high radon levels may cause. We hope to reassure people that testing for radon is simple and, where necessary, remedial work is relatively straightforward.” Mr Fenton said.

Employers and workers in high radon areas also need to be aware of the potential health effects of radon in the workplace. “According to the health and safety authority, all indoor workplaces in high radon areas located at ground or basement level must be measured for radon,” he said.

“Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced in all rocks and soils and because it is a gas it can move relatively freely through the ground, entering buildings through any cracks or gaps that exist in floors. In certain circumstances radon can build up to unacceptable high concentrations becoming a health risk to the occupants of a building,” he added.

Detailed information on radon and its risks, including information on how to get your home or workplace tested, is available on the RPII’s website www.rpii.ie or can be obtained on freefone 1800 300 600.

Meanwhile, Environment Minister of State Michael Kitt has called on every householder to have their home tested for radon.