EPA - Ireland's Environment 2016

Ireland’s Environment – An Assessment 2016

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present in the marine environment do not warrant any

modification of the daily habits of people in Ireland, either

in their consumption of seafood or in any other use of the

amenities of the marine environment.

Radon

Indoor radon exposure remains a significant public

health concern.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas formed

in the ground by the radioactive decay of uranium,

which is present in all rocks and soils. It is the greatest

source of exposure to ionising radiation for the general

public in Ireland and the leading cause of lung cancer

after smoking. It is estimated that exposure to radon

accounts for approximately 13% of all lung cancers in

Ireland, which equates to some 250 lung cancer cases

each year.

High radon concentrations can be found in any

part of the country; however, the EPA has identified

certain areas which are more prone to radon as High

Radon Areas. The EPA regularly runs local awareness

campaigns in High Radon Areas in order to raise

awareness of the risks from radon and to encourage

homeowners to test their homes. To date, only 60,000

homes have been tested, of which almost 8,400 were

found to be above the national reference level of

200 Bq/m

. Figure 8.9 shows the routes of entry for

radon into buildings.

Figure 8.9

Radon Entry Points

(Source: EPA,

www.radon.ie)

Recognising the scale of the radon problem in Ireland,

the Government published the 4-year National Radon

Control Strategy in February 2014, which contains

recommendations on a broad range of measures aimed

at reducing the risk from radon to people living in Ireland.

These recommendations are set out in six thematic areas

as follows:

radon prevention in new buildings;

use of property transactions (sales and rental) to drive

action on radon;

raising radon awareness and encouraging individual

action on radon;

advice and guidance for individual householders and

employers with high radon results;

promoting confidence in radon services; and

addressing radon in workplaces and public buildings.

The results of the 2015 National Radon Survey show that

mean indoor radon concentration has fallen to 77Bq/m

(from 89Bq/m

in 2002). Furthermore, a significant

reduction in radon levels was found in homes built since

1998, when radon preventative measures were introduced

under the Building Regulations, as compared with those

homes built before then. This gives a strong indication that

the required radon preventative measures in new homes

are having a beneficial effect on indoor radon levels. In

addition, further work to tackle radon in workplaces will

be carried out through the implementation of EU Council

Directive 2013/59/Euratom, which lays down basic safety

standards for protection against the dangers arising from

exposure to ionising radiation.

Non-ionising Radiation

Non-ionising radiation is the term used to describe the

part of the electromagnetic spectrum covering two main

regions, namely optical radiation (ultraviolet, visible and

infrared) and electromagnetic fields (power frequencies,

microwaves and radio frequencies).

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are associated with electricity

flows, and both electric and magnetic fields exist close

to power lines, and close to appliances. Since the 1970s,

research has been under way to examine if exposure to

EMFs has adverse health consequences. In 2015, an EU

scientific committee published a Final Opinion on the

potential health effects of exposure to EMFs (SCENIHR,

2015). It concluded that there are no evident adverse

health effects associated with EMF if exposure remains

below the levels recommended by EU legislation (EC,

2015). The findings of this committee were echoed in a

study carried out by the Dutch National Institute for Public

Health and the Environment, which looked at EMFs in the

Irish context and also investigated how different Member

States differ in how they deal with European exposure

limits (RIVM, 2015).