Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 19 Feb 1991

Vol. 405 No. 3

Written Answers. - Radioactive Gas.

Bernard Allen

Question:

208 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Energy if he will make a statement on a recent comment by a spokesman for the Environmental Health Officers' Association, that the build-up of naturally occurring radioactive gas in some houses in the west of Ireland, including parts of west Cork, was of greater magnitude than the effects of radioactive discharges from Sellafield or Chernobyl and that tests in Irish homes have found the level of indoor air radon to be over eight times the permitted level of 200 becquerels per cubic metre standard adopted by the Nuclear Energy Board.

Minister for Energy (Mr. Molloy)

Detailed information about radon levels is a matter for the Nuclear Energy Board, and the Deputy should therefore approach the board in this matter. Most Irish homes, about 96 per cent, have levels of radon which are not significant. A small number of houses — about 4 per cent — are estimated to have radon levels of above 200 becquerels per cubic metre, the level agreed by the Government as the reference level above which remedial measures should be considered.

The Minister for the Environment is responsible for preparing and disseminating technical guidance to householders and builders regarding the treatment of radon problems in affected areas in existing and new dwellings.