Anna-Marie Flynn
LARGE parts of Mayo have been deemed High Radon Areas, due to evidence of significantly higher levels of the naturally occurring radon gas than in other parts of the country.
According to a report published recently by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII), the county is one of 13 with radon concentrations exceeding 1,000Bq/m3.
In Mayo, 1,184 homes were surveyed. A total of 152, or 13 per cent, of these were said to be above the annual national reference level of 200Bq/m3. The average radon concentration was 100 Bq/m3 with the maximum hitting 1214Bq/m3.
Ballina, Killala, Ballycastle and Ballinrobe are all defined as areas where people are being exposed to higher radiation levels. In the four areas, 20 per cent more of the houses in the national grid square are above the national reference level. High Radon Areas are defined as being ten per cent over that level. Swinford, Claremorris and parts of north Castlebar all fall into this category.
In Westport and south Castlebar, between five and ten per cent of homes are predicted to be in excess of the national rate; while in areas such as Louisburgh and Belmullet, only one per cent of houses is thought to be over the 200Bq/m3 level.
Building on the existing National Radon Survey, the RPII surveyed over 20,000 homes over a period of three months.
Dr Tony Colgan, Director of Advisory Services at the RPII, and the report’s principal researcher, said the prevalence of gas is purely down to the geological make-up of the land but drew attention to its connection with lung cancer. He highlighted the need for awareness of radon as the main source of radiation among other types including cosmic, gamma and thoron.
“The evaluation undertaken clearly identifies radon as the primary source of radiation dose in Ireland. Radon is a cancer-causing gas and is the second most important cause of lung cancer in the country.
“It is also one of the few sources which can be controlled through measurement and remediation, both of which are relatively inexpensive to undertake. For these reasons, the RPII has always highlighted radon as a key radiation protection issue,” he said.
On a national level, the three-year baseline report, which is the most comprehensive study of its kind, shows a nine per cent increase over previous estimates.
