Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

381 Chapter 14: Environment, Health and Wellbeing Shellfish waters. Waters used for the farming or harvesting of shellfish (e.g. oysters, mussels and clams) are protected. If waste water is discharged into the catchments of these waters without adequate treatment (e.g. disinfection of treated waste water using ultraviolet lamps) it has the potential to contaminate shellfish with bacteria and viruses. This can put public health at risk, as people may get sick by eating contaminated shellfish. The EPA has highlighted that Uisce Éireann is taking too long to complete assessments of shellfish waters and to carry out necessary improvements: 23 assessments were overdue in 2022 (EPA, 2023b). The EPA requires Uisce Éireann to implement improvements to protect shellfish waters without delay and expedite the remaining assessments. It is vital that adequate funding for these works is allocated by Uisce Éireann so that the assessments and infrastructure works can be completed. Radiation Radiation can be of benefit to our health, for example in medical imaging or in medical treatments, but radiation also has the potential to cause negative health impacts. The estimations of radiation doses received from various pathways were updated in 2024, and while no major changes were found in the overall doses, there was some additional exposure from increased air travel and a reduction in the average estimated dose from medical imaging. The average annual radiation dose for a person in Ireland from all sources is 4.172 mSv (EPA, 2024e) (Figure 14.7). This exposure comes predominantly from natural sources, which, together with medical exposures, account for 99% of the total average exposure. Our greatest radiation exposure comes from radon (59% of total), which is linked to approximately 350 new cases of lung cancer each year in Ireland (Figure 14.8) (Murphy et al ., 2021). Radon is a natural radioactive gas that is emitted from the ground into our buildings, where the levels build up. Ireland has a more significant radon problem than many European countries because of its geology. The EPA published new radon risk maps in 2022 (Figure 14.9) using approximately 30,000 radon measurements combined with detailed geological information. According to the new maps, one-third of the country is now designated as a high radon area (areas where one in five homes are likely to have a high radon level), and 170,000 homes nationally could have radon levels above the national reference level of 200 Bq/m 3 . This is an increase of 45,000 homes from the previous estimate in 2002. Householders can search by their Eircode to see the radon risk in their area (www.epa.ie/ radon) . Figure 14.7  Sources of average radiation dose in Ireland 8.9% 8.4% 7.1% 5.8% 59.2% 10.4% 0.3% Medical 10.4%  Cosmic 8.9%  Thoron 8.4%  Food 7.1%  Gamma radiation on the ground 5.8%  Occupational 0.3%  Radon 59.2%  Source: EPA, 2024e Figure 14.8  Radon damages the lungs, increasing the risk of lung cancer RADON is breathed into the lungs Energy from radioactive particles can damage DNA, increasing the risk of lung cancer Source: EPA, n.d.