Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 December 2004
438 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he proposes to take measures in order to address the problem of unusually high and dangerous radon emissions in the Castleisland area. [32448/04]
View answerIn July 2003, a radon concentration level of 49,000 becquerels per cubic metre, Bq/m3, was identified in a house located close to the town of Castleisland, County Kerry. This exceptionally high radon concentration level was unprecedented in Ireland and other European countries. I understand that subsequent radon remediation works on the house resulted in a very significant reduction in the concentration level, that is, down to 500 Bq/m3.
I can also report to the House that follow-up radon measurements in houses in the area show that the exceptionally high radon concentration level has not been replicated to date in other houses in the area. The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, wrote to approximately 2,500 householders in the four 10 km x 10 km grid squares closest to the town to inform them of the very high reading found in the house in Castleisland and to advise them that they should have their own house measured for radon. By way of response to the RPII letters, I understand that 406 householders requested radon measurements. Results which are now available for 397 of these indicate that 54 houses, 14%, exceeded the national reference level of 200 Bq/m3, including five houses, 1%, which had concentrations above 1,000 Bq/m3. The highest concentration level found among the 397 houses was just over 6,100 Bq/m3, while the average concentration was just below 150 Bq/m3. Radon measurements were also completed in respect of 90 local authority homes in Castleisland, none of which were found to have radon concentrations in excess of the national reference level.
The Government, through the RPII, has committed significant resources to assessing the extent of the radon problem throughout the country and to increasing public awareness of radon. The RPII carried out a national survey of radon in domestic dwellings in the 1990s aimed at assessing the extent of the radon problem in homes. The survey involved the measurement by the RPII of radon for a 12 month period in a random selection of homes in each 10 km x 10 km grid square throughout the country. In all, over 11,000 houses were involved in the survey. Arising from that survey, the RPII estimated that some 91,000 houses nationally, or some 7% of the national housing stock, have radon concentrations in excess of the national reference level. The survey also identified high radon areas. The RPII's website www.rpii.ie contains a comprehensive map of the high radon areas in Ireland as well as the report of its national survey. The RPII has always encouraged those householders residing in high radon areas to have their homes tested for radon, and where measurements are found to exceed the national reference level, to carry out radon remediation works. The cost to a householder of having his or her home tested for radon would be in the order of €40.
In February 2002, my Department published a booklet entitled Radon in Existing Buildings — Corrective Options advising designers, builders and home owners on remediation options for reducing radon in existing houses to, or below, the national reference level. Upgraded building regulations, introduced in June 1997, require all new houses which commenced construction on or after 1 July 1998 to incorporate radon protection measures. My Department has recently published an updated edition of Technical Guidance Document C, TGD-D, on part C of the building regulations — site preparation and resistance to moisture — incorporating enhanced radon prevention measures for new buildings commencing on or after 1 April 2005. This new guidance document is aimed at ensuring that the 1997 radon protection measures are carried out more effectively.
