As the next two matters are to be taken together, the two Deputies have five minutes each and the Minister of State has ten minutes to reply.
Radon Gas Levels.
I ask the Minister of State to carry out a special investigation into the alarmingly high levels of radon gas in the Castleisland and Tralee areas of County Kerry. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. It is colourless and odourless and can only be measured with special equipment. It is formed in the ground by the radioactive decay of uranium, which is present in small quantities in rocks and soils. As a result of it being a gas, radon can move freely through soil, enabling it to enter the atmosphere and seep into buildings. When radon surfaces in the open air it is quickly diluted to harmless levels, but when it enters an enclosed space such as a building, it can sometimes reach unacceptably high concentrations.
Radon mainly gets into buildings through cracks in floors and gaps around pipes and cables. Minor amounts may also come from building materials and domestic water and gas supplies. Once radon enters a house it quickly decays to produce radioactive particles, some of which remain suspended in the air. When inhaled, these particles can be deposited in the airways and attach themselves to lung tissue, giving a radiation dose which may eventually lead to lung cancer. The risk can be significant, depending on how high a radon level one is exposed to, for how long, and whether or not one smokes.
Based on current knowledge it is estimated that for the Irish population as a whole, a lifetime exposure to radon at the reference level of 200 becquerels per cubic metre carries a risk of about one in 50 of contracting fatal lung cancer. This is twice the risk of death in a road accident. The results of the national survey on radon in domestic dwellings conducted by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland between 1992 and 1999, showed that alarmingly high levels of radon were found in parts of County Kerry, particularly in the Tralee and Castleisland areas.
Recently, the highest level of radon ever identified in Ireland, or possibly anywhere in the world, at 50,000 becquerels per cubic metre was found in a house in the Castleisland area following a test carried out by the RPII at the householder's request. This is 250 times the recommended level and should have resulted in an immediate and effective response from the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The RPII sent a letter to all householders in high radon areas in Castleisland, within the four, 10 km. national grid areas adjoining the town. The institute advised them that it was writing to all householders in the immediate area because of the very serious health implications of exposure to such high levels of radon and to inform them of what was found. An information pamphlet was enclosed and people were strongly encouraged, if they had not previously done so, to have radon measurements carried out in their houses.
While I welcome the initiative by the RPII, I understand that, for a number of reasons, there has been a poor response to its letter. Householders have to apply to the RPII for two detectors for a radon assessment at a total cost of €33. Additional detectors are available on request at a cost of €24 each. Some people are just not good at filling up application forms even if it is in their own interests. Others, such as those depending on social welfare, find the cost prohibitive. All householders in the immediate area of the house in Castleisland should have been provided with a free radon measurement service given that the highest levels of radon gas ever recorded in Ireland were found there. The Minister should immediately put in place arrangements to do this.
I understand that a public information seminar is being organised in Castleisland. This should be attended by a scientific officer from the RPlI and a Department official with expertise in radon gas. The Government should make grants available to householders to deal with radon gas levels above the recommended level. It can cost anything between €3,000 and €10,000 to carry out corrective action and some householders cannot afford to employ a contractor to carry out the work required. A 50% grant, which was proposed in the past, would be a positive incentive. It is time the Government took this issue seriously. I recently read that a senior Government official admitted that there is a reluctance on the part of the Government to put the necessary resources in place to deal with the issue of radon gas. I call on the Minister to commence a special investigation into the alarmingly high level of radon gas in Castleisland and Tralee. The investigation should include a thorough and wide-ranging survey of radon gas levels in all domestic dwellings and workplaces. Following this survey the Minister should implement the necessary corrective measures to protect those people living and working in these areas from this invisible killer.
Deputy Deenihan has offered a local example of why I feel building regulations are so deficient in this area. My Adjournment motion refers to adequate building regulations. It should, more correctly, refer to effective building regulations. I am sure that in his response the Minister of State will point to existing regulations. We have a problem in implementing even those ineffective measures that are currently in the building regulations.
No supervision is in place for the installation of radon monitoring or dispersal equipment in houses. Neither is there any testing of the equipment, either prior to the installation or on an ongoing basis once it is installed in a house. Unlike in other jurisdictions, there is no requirement that testing for radon should be part of the conveyancing process. Existing building regulations are deficient in regard to each of these measures. There is a responsibility on the Government to put in place building regulations that would engender confidence in the general public.
Other countries treat the radon gas problem far more seriously. As Deputy Deenihan pointed out, radon is a naturally occurring substance but it is a radioactive substance. It is somewhat fatuous of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to suggest that the response should be for people to open their windows more often, particularly since in the previous Government the Minister of State at the same Department told people to keep their windows shut in the event of radioactive poisoning coming from Sellafield. Radon is not so much a problem in rooms as it comes up from the foundations of houses and gathers under the floorboards. It requires a certain amount of technical expertise to identify the problem and a certain amount of technical infrastructure to make sure that the problem is addressed.
In Sweden each local authority has a radon protection officer. We have a serious problem in terms of the existence and the build-up of radon. The Government has, unfortunately, not tackled the problem with adequate seriousness. The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, which has been referred to by Deputy Deenihan, estimates that 200 deaths per year are caused by radon which is a carcinogen. That is half the number of people who die every year in road accidents. The Government puts a great deal of thought and effort into road safety programmes but nothing like the same degree of effort and thought goes into protection from radon exposure. An actuarial study into road deaths from a number of years ago estimated that the loss to the economy for every death recorded was €1.3 million. A similar study taken now would indicate that the economy is losing out to the extent of €250 million per year because we do not have adequate measures in place in regard to radon. I hope the Minister of State, who no doubt has come with a prepared script, will be able to go back to his senior ministerial colleague and other Members of Government and recommend that measures are at last put in place to avoid the type of occurrences we have seen in Kerry and that I fear can happen elsewhere in the country.
The RPII has been quite diligent in marking out the blackspots which exist in regard to this risk. The last opportunity I had to speak in this House on the Adjournment, was to challenge the Government on the need for a repository for radioactive waste. This problem is a similar one but it is even more immediate. The Minister has a responsibility, along with his Government colleagues, to ensure that it is a concern that is met.
Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. N. Ahern)
I thank the Deputies for raising these issues. The recent discovery of very high radon levels in a house in Castleisland, County Kerry, is clearly a serious matter.
The Government has been concerned about the issue of radon for some time and has, through the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, committed significant resources to assessing the extent of the problem and highlighting public awareness. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in variable amounts in rocks and soil. While it is quickly diluted when it surfaces in the open air, where it enters an enclosed space such as house unacceptably high concentration levels may be reached. Epidemiological studies have shown that radon gas concentrations add to the incidence of lung cancer. While this evidence is derived primarily from studies of miners exposed to radon gas at work, it is supported by the outcome of a number of studies of radon exposure in the home. There is evidence to suggest that long-term exposure to high levels of radon can be a contributory factor in increasing the risk of lung cancer. The incidence is higher among smokers than non-smokers.
The RPII has carried out radon measurements in the house in Castleisland and found that unusually high radon levels were present. I understand from the RPII that the house is built on karstic limestone which is overlain by shale known to contain high uranium concentrations. Karstic limestone contains underground caves and streams which favour the movement and accumulation of radon gas. Remediation work is being undertaken at the house to reduce the radon concentrations present. When this has been completed, additional measurements will be carried out to confirm whether or not the work has been successful. The RPII also carried out radon measurements at two nearby properties. It was found that radon concentrations in both houses concerned were below the 200 becquerels per cubic metre national reference level. This reference level was set in 1990 by the Government and is the level above which radon remediation measures should be considered.
As the Deputy said, the RPII also sent 2,500 letters to all households in the four, 10 km. national grid squares adjoining the town of Castleisland informing them of the levels of radon that had been found. The households were advised to have radon measurements carried out. To date, 400 measurement requests have been received and radon detectors have been issued. This measurement programme is in addition to that involving 80 homes in which radon measurements were taken in the same four grid squares as part of the national radon survey undertaken by the RPII in the period 1992 to 1999. A further 92 local authority homes in the four grid squares adjoining Castleisland are being measured for radon on the initiative of Kerry County Council. The Government and the RPII have actively encouraged householders in areas designated high radon areas to have their homes measured for radon levels.
In February, 2002 my Department published a booklet, Radon in Existing Buildings – Corrective Options, which advised designers, builders and home owners of remediation options to reduce radon in existing houses to or below the national reference level. This booklet gives advice on a number of options including increased ventilation all year round, which is an immediate and inexpensive way to prevent the build-up of radon gas in the home. Ireland was among the first European countries to introduce specific building regulations and related detailed technical guidance on radon prevention in new buildings. To be fair, I must acknowledge that the current regulatory regime was developed on a cross-party basis. Deputy Howlin, when Minister, announced the relevant proposals in May 1997 and these were taken on and implemented by his successor, Deputy Noel Dempsey, when making consolidated building regulations in December 1997. The upgraded regulations apply to new buildings commencing on, or after, 1 July 1998.
Under the 1997 regulatory regime, new houses in high radon areas must incorporate a radon proof membrane and a passive sump in the foundations. If a post-construction survey shows that the radon level is still above the national reference level for houses, the householder has the option of installing a pump to activate the sump at relatively low cost to further reduce radon levels. A high radon area is one in which the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland estimates that 10% or more of existing houses have radon concentrations above the national reference level. In the cases of houses outside high radon areas, the foundations must incorporate a passive sump to cater for situations in which radon can occur sporadically and at random.
In July 2003, the RPII published the results of a survey of a sample of 90 new houses built under the 1997 regulatory regime at Ennis, County Clare. The results showed a significant reduction in the proportion of houses with radon concentrations above the national reference level from 27% of existing houses in the previous national survey results to 12% in the sample of new houses in Ennis. More significantly, there was a reduction of two thirds in the maximum radon level recorded in the new houses built in Ennis since mid 1998 compared with the earlier survey.
While the Government welcomes the positive effect of the 1997 building regulations and the related technical guidance, it recognises that there is no room for complacency. Action is required to make the radon prevention measures for new houses even more effective. In this regard, proposals for strengthened technical guidance were published last July. The proposals take account of recommendations made in the Ennis survey report. Copies of these proposals, together with the relevant press statement, have been placed in the Oireachtas Library.
The key features of the strengthened technical guidance may be summarised as follows. First, membranes should be certified as radon proof by an independent third party such as the Irish Agrement Board of the National Standards Authority of Ireland. Second, the membranes should be very carefully installed and should be protected from damage once installed. Third, radon levels in the new houses should be checked after completion and occupation of the new house to see if activation of the radon sump, by installation of a pump, is called for. Finally, the outlet pipes for piping from the radon sumps should be capped and marked with an identification marking or marker plating to prevent confusion with rain water piping.
The draft technical guidance also draws attention to new and separate regulatory controls on radon protection in buildings which are workplaces, namely, those contained in the Radiological Protection Act 1991 (Ionising Radiation) Order 2000. This sets a radon limit of 400 becquerels per cubic metre for workplaces. Com ments on the draft guidance have been invited from the general public and the construction industry within a three-month period ending on 30 October 2003. I will very much welcome any specific comments from Members of the House. I assure Deputies that all comments received will be carefully considered by my Department in consultation with the building regulations advisory body. The definitive technical guidance on radon prevention in new buildings, including new houses, will be published early in the new year. Under the Building Control Act 1990, compliance with building regulations is primarily the responsibility of the designers, builders and owners of buildings. Enforcement of building regulations is, by law, the responsibility of the 37 local building control authorities. Enforcement of the ionising radiation order mentioned above is, primarily, the responsibility of the RPII.
I assure Members that I have taken note of the points they have made. The Department takes the issue of radon very seriously and will continue to publicise and heighten public awareness of it. The RPII and the Government will continue to encourage householders in high radon areas to have radon measurements carried out. Specifically, I note Deputy Deenihan's suggestion that free measurement devices be distributed. I take note also of Deputy Boyle's feeling that supervision and testing are lacking and that testing should be part of the conveyancy system. I will pass the Deputies' comments on when I return to the Department. People with views on the matter have an opportunity to submit them by the end of the month.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.20 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 23 October 2003.