Overview of Radon in Ireland
David Pollard
• What is radon
• What is the scale of the problem
• How can we fix the problem
• A national strategy
What is radon
• Radon is a naturally occurring
carcinogenic gas.
• Relased from rocks and soils and can
accumulate in homes and other buildings.
• It is the second biggest cause of lung
cancer after smoking and accounts for 10
to 15% of lung cancer deaths in Ireland.
What is Radon
• Direct evidence for link between radon and
lung cancer in homes - IARC Group 1
carcinogen.
• Effective and relatively inexpensive
measures are available to prevent the
problem in new houses and to remedial
existing houses (once the problem has been
identified).
What is the scale of the problem
• The National Radon Survey (NRS), 1992 to
1999, identified the scale of the problem
in Irish Homes.
• 7% of houses (approx 91,000 houses) are
predicted to be above Reference Level
• Further surveys/ measurements in schools
and workplaces present a similar picture.
National Radon Survey
•11,319 homes between
Measured.
•For each 10 km grid
square the percentage of
houses above 200Bq/m3 is
predicted.
•Squares with > 10% are
designated High Radon
Areas
How do levels compare internationally
150
100
50
0
Mean radon
concentrations
OECD countries
How do we reduce Radon levels
• Prevent the problem in new buildings
through building controls
• Persuade home owners and employers to
test and, where necessary, fix the problem
in existing homes and workplaces
• Legal requirements concerning exposure
to radon in workplaces
Where does exposure to Radon gas occur
Workplace
Home
Per Caput
Exposure to
radon
Identifying houses with a radon problem
• NRS tells us the probability of a house in a
certain area having a radon problem
• Only possible to tell if an individual house
has a problem is to measure it – adjacent
houses may have very different radon
levels
• Key challenge is to persuade individuals to
measure
Remediation – Housing
• 79% of housing units are privately occupied
(2006 Census)
• Addressing radon in this sector is dependent
on increasing public awareness and
knowledge of radon.
• Other possible measures include: disclosure
during conveyancing, inclusion of radon in
schemes such as BER and incentives.
• Persuading individuals to measure remains a
slow and difficult task
Remediation – Housing
• Local authorities have recognised the
potential for liability for damage to health
of tenants – many local authorities are
now addressing radon in social housing
Remediation – Workplaces
• Legal obligations on employers to provide
a safe work environment (H&S
Regulations, S.I. 125 of 2000)
• Useful to address radon in the context of
other H&S issues (HSA raise radon as an
issue in workplace inspections)
• Public education (persuasion) is also
crucial in the sector.
Prevention
• Radon prevention has been included in the
Irish Building Regulations since 1998.
• These measures are inexpensive and have
negligible impact on building costs.
• There is potential to improve effectiveness
of preventative measures through better
monitoring and research.
Prevention vs Remediation
• Prevention
– Unit cost low and can be incorporated into building
costs
– Can be enforced through building controls
– Addresses only new houses
• Remediation
–
–
–
–
Necessary to identify individual houses
Unit cost more expensive than prevention
Homeowners must bear the cost
Potentially possible to address all houses
Reducing radon levels
Sector
Options
Domestic
Public education
Conveyancing
Insurance
Surveys
Grants
Direct intervention (social housing)
New build
Building controls
Guarantee schemes
Workplaces
Regulation
Public/ employer education
A National Radon Strategy
• Radon strategy must address both prevention
and remediation and is likely to incorporate
multiple elements
• Cost effective mix of solutions (must deliver the
maximum impact within budgetary constraints)
• Joined up approach involving: relevant public
bodies, professional bodies, service providers,
etc
• There are EU Regulations coming down the track
which will require Ireland to have a radon
strategy
National
Strategy
Strategic
Coordination
Action levels
Public
education
Health and
Safety
Regulation
Building
Controls
Monitoring/
evaluation/
surveys
Some points to take away
• Radon is an important public health issue.
• There are a range of control measures to
address both existing and new buildings.
• Radon is best addressed through a joined up
national strategy driven by central Government
and involving all of the many stakeholders.
• Persuading individuals to measure remains an
enormous challenge.