Huge levels of radon found in homes in Kerry

Two homes in Kerry have been found to contain levels of cancer-causing radon gas that are among the highest ever discovered in Europe.

The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland says measurements in one home were up to 70 times the acceptable level.

It says the householders were being exposed to radiation equivalent to nearly 47 chest x-rays per day.

Radon seeps up naturally from below the ground and gets trapped in houses with poor ventilation.

The gas is the second-biggest cause of lung cancer in Ireland after smoking and is linked to around 200 deaths every year.