What's your level?

We’re all aware of radiation, and we go out of our way to avoid it, but did you know that one of the greatest radiation-related health risks in Ireland is something that is present all over the country and in most homes? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon accounts for more than half of the total radiation dose received by the Irish population. Given that radon is a known carcinogen, this is quite worrying – so why aren’t more people talking about it?

“Radon is a radioactive gas and it’s given off by rocks and soil all of the time. There’s a tiny amount of the element uranium in all rocks and soil, and some have more than others, but they all give off radon gas all the time,” explains Stephanie Long, a senior scientist with the EPA.

“Radon is a gas that’s invisible, so it has no colour, taste or smell. There’s no way of knowing that it’s there. It is outside all the time, but it’s diluted to very low levels. It’s inside that it can build up to very high levels, but there’s no way of knowing that it’s there.”

Stephanie stresses that long-term exposure to radon can have a severe impact on our health.

“The reason radon is a problem is because it’s radioactive. It creates these very tiny radioactive particles. These attach to tiny particles of dust and we breathe those into the lungs and some of those particles will lodge in the lungs. When they’re lodged there, what they’re doing is giving off radioactivity and that’s giving a dose to the lungs that really increases the risk of developing lung cancer.”

Worryingly, the effect of these radon particles is even more serious if you are a smoker.

“It’s much worse for smokers. 25 times worse,” says Stephanie.

“The reason for that is that with smokers there’s usually a deposit of tar on the lungs and that means that when you breathe the radon particles in, they’re more likely to stick and less likely to be breathed out again. If you’re a non-smoker you’re either breathe the particles out or they’ll be absorbed into your bloodstream, but for smokers they’re more likely to stick.”

When it comes to the levels of radon present, Ireland ranks quite high. This is down to our natural geology says Stephanie.

“Radon is linked with rock types – granite, limestone and shale. With granite and shale there’s more uranium in those rock types than there is with others. With limestone, there’s lots of cracks, gaps and openings so the radon gas can get through very easily.

The fact that we live in such a wet climate doesn’t help either. Given that radon gas can build up in our homes, spending times inside, in a well-insulated house can also expose you to the gas.

The good news is that it is incredibly easy to test your home for radon. All you need to do is order some small detectors from the EPA or a private company.

These detectors are placed in your main living area and in your main bedroom and you leave them for there months. Then you return them.

“You’ll usually get your results in a week or two so it’s very simple. It’s all done by post. We charge €56.90. Other companies charge between €40 and €80. It’s not a huge amount of money. I know it’s a lot but it’s not a huge amount to know if you do or don’t have a problem with this radioactive gas,” says Stephanie.

The ideal reference level in a home for radon is 200 becquerels. While there is no level of radon that’s safe, 200 is acceptable.

“The average level for Irish homes is 77. So typically 77 is an average house. 200 is okay, you can live with 200 – anything above 200 and we’d recommend that people reduce the level,” says Stephanie.  

If your radon level is higher than the recommended reference level, fixing it is quite a simple process too. You’ll need to invest in an active radon sump – a fan-like structure which sits beneath your home and helps to filter out the gases.

“All of the work is outside the house and there’s no digging up of floors inside, which people are often worried about,” says Stephanie.

But before you start worrying about sumps, there are some other methods you can try.

“There are a couple of other methods, but the most common one would be looking at ventilation. A lot of people have the little trickle vents in window frames. They can be put into window frames, so getting that extra fresh air either through a vent in the window frame or a vent in the wall [is great]…

“Making sure that there’s good ventilation under the house where you have a cement floor or in the air of the house generally – that can up to halve radon levels. We always say to try that first if you’ve moderate levels. You can always go back and put a sump in if that doesn’t do the job.”

For anyone worried about their radon levels, Stephanie has the following advice:

“Visit www.radon.ie. Have a look at our map. Put your address in and see are you in a high-risk area and even if you’re not in a high-risk area, just order a test and give yourself the peace of mind of either knowing that you don’t have a radon problem or that if you do, you can do something about it. Do the test today, don’t put it off any longer.”