EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 14: Environment, Health and Wellbeing for each of these substances have been established at a European level. Work is commencing on identifying new chemicals of emerging concern of regional or local importance for Ireland (river basin-specific pollutants), which will establish national EQSs and new monitoring programmes. Radioactivity Exposure to radon is the most significant cause of exposure to radiation for the Irish public: other sources of radioactivity in the Irish environment do not pose a significant risk to public health. Natural radioactivity in our environment is made up of both cosmic radiation, which originates in outer space, and geological radiation, which comes from the long- lived radionuclides present in rocks and soil from the time of the formation of the Earth. Artificial radiation in the environment originates from its use in medical diagnosis and treatment and the operation of nuclear power plants and reprocessing plants. Past accidents at nuclear installations and atmospheric nuclear weapons tests are also sources of artificial radionuclides in the environment. The most significant source of artificial radionuclides in the Irish marine environment is discharges from the Sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Cumbria. However, the radiation exposure from Sellafield discharges represents only a very small fraction of the overall average annual dose received by a person in Ireland, as shown in Figure 14.7. Figure 14.7  Sources of radiation. The most significant contribution to human exposure to radioactivity is from naturally occurring radon gas (Source: EPA) Radon 55.1% Thoron 8.7% Natural radioactivity in food 6.5% Natural radioactivity in soils 7.3% Medical exposure of patients 13.5% Artificial, including weapons, Chernobyl and Sellafield 0.3% Cosmic radiation 8.6% Radon Indoor radon exposure remains a significant public health concern for the Irish population and is the second leading cause of lung cancer in Ireland. Radon is a radioactive gas formed in the ground by the radioactive decay of uranium, which is present in all rocks and soils. Radon is diluted to very low concentrations outdoors; however, it can build up to high concentrations inside buildings. Ireland has a more significant radon problem than many of its European neighbours. This is mostly due to its geology and partially due to its climate. Radon is an invisible, colourless and tasteless gas that is carcinogenic and is linked to the development of 300 cases of lung cancer each year in Ireland (Figure 14.8) (Dempsey et al. , 2018b). It is also associated with certain kinds of skin cancer (Wheeler et al. , 2012). Figure 14.8  Radon damages the lungs, increasing the risk of lung cancer (Source: EPA, www.radon.ie) The EPA has tested over 60,000 homes and identified about 9000 homes that are above a level of natural radioactivity that is considered safe from the perspective of the occupier’s health. However, it is estimated that about 160,000 homes are above this safe reference level in Ireland. High radon concentrations can be found in any part of the country; however, the EPA has categorised certain areas that are more prone to radon as high- radon areas. The EPA’s interactive map, available at https://www.epa.ie/radon/, will show whether a building is in a high-radon area and provide information on testing and remediation. The most cost-effective way of protecting the population against radon is the correct installation of passive prevention systems in new buildings. EPA-funded research reveals that implementing the building regulations relating to radon prevention has resulted in a 13 per cent reduction in average radon concentrations in Irish homes (McGrath and Byrne, 2019). 371