Seamus Kirk
Question:583 Mr. Kirk asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if he will provide up-to-date radon readings for County Louth. [1015/96]
Written Answers. - County Louth Radon Readings.
The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland is responsible for radon measurements. The institute has advised me that 12 month radon measurements have been completed in 103 houses throughout County Louth, 23 of the houses being in the Cooley Peninsula. Fifteen of these 103 houses, 10 of which were in the Cooley Peninsula, were found to have radon levels above the 200 Bq/m³. The highest level recorded in the county, 752 Bq/m³, was in a house in the Cooley Peninsula.
The institute predicts that for most of County Louth the percentage of houses above the 200 Bq/m³ reference level is less than 10 per cent. For the Cooley Peninsula and the area which surrounds Clogherhead, the predicted percentage is greater than 10 per cent, with the value in the Cooley Peninsula being closer to 40 per cent.
In addition to the National Survey, 57 householders requested three month radon measurements and 23 of these houses were found to have radon levels above the reference level, the highest level measured being 748 Bq/m³. The institute has informed individual householders of their results and, where appropriate, advised that remedial measures should be considered.
The institute hopes to have the ongoing national radon survey completed by 1998 and in the meantime is continuing to publish the results as they are collated.