Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and the fact that we have taken time to debate this very important issue.

The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, estimates that more than 100,000 houses have unacceptably high levels of radon but the general public and the media do not seem to be aware of the dangers. Last year the institute warned that some radon gas pockets exhibit detectable levels that are 60 times greater than the acceptable level. These pockets can exist in rural households, in apartment blocks and estates, in basements and attics, almost anywhere where people live. Radon gas is a silent, odourless invisible killer and is the second highest cause of lung cancer after smoking. To put that in perspective, 200 people every year can be predicted to die from radon poisoning, more or less the same number of people killed in road accidents. In County Meath, one would expect approximately eight people to die every year from the effects of radon gas. That figure might be too low because, according to the RPII website, some parts of the county, such as Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin, Ratoath and Stamullen, have extremely high levels of radon. One out of every five houses is expected to be exposed to above acceptable levels and to require remedial action. However, there are no visible campaigns, no media outrage, no billboards and no general awareness of this situation.

Radon occurs naturally from the decay of radioactive uranium in rocks and soils. This natural basis of occurrence, combined with the fact that we cannot smell, taste, touch or see radon gas, appears to have nurtured inappropriate levels of apathy on the part of the public at large. That radon occurs naturally makes it no less dangerous or damaging than a by-product from a manufacturing process. The RPII estimates that one third of the country is classified as having high radon gas levels. It is worrying that the recent World Health Organisation, WHO, survey on radon gas suggests we have the sixth highest radon gas levels in the world. At current levels, the equivalence is of everybody having an x-ray once a day. When a person has an x-ray in hospital bystanders are shielded from the impact of radiation. One can imagine what it means to have every person exposed to one x-ray a day. That is the prevalence and impact of radon gas in this country.

Dwellings constructed in the past ten years are at a lower risk of radon exposure because regulations since 1997 have determined that new dwellings constructed in radon areas must have in place a permanent sealed membrane. Senator Coffey pointed out that there have been instances in which these membranes have not been put in place comprehensively in the new buildings. It is vital that the effectiveness of radon testing is promoted with respect to buildings more than ten years old. The RPII has devised a very simple efficient and cheap test for householders to test the existence of radon gas. We must all make sure our constituents and people at large are aware of this service.

Ten years ago the RPII conducted a survey in primary and post-primary schools to establish the levels of radon gas. The wide ranging study took six years to complete and covered approximately 95% of schools across the country. As a result of that survey, the Department of Education and Science carried out remedial works on those schools and is to be commended on doing this. Given that this study is at least five years old, further surveys should be carried out to establish whether things have changed. While not as many as we would like, significant numbers of new schools have been built since then. It would be sensible to test those for radon gas levels.

Interesting research is being carried out in some parts of the world. In the United States, for example, The New York Times reported recently on a study that suggested that granite worktops in kitchens might be responsible for emitting high levels of radon gas. The article suggested that when kitchens have granite worktops the incidence of radon gas might be ten times higher than levels found elsewhere in the house. The Minister might examine this.

The last time this issue was debated in the Dáil, the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Dick Roche, informed the House that there had been a disappointing uptake of radon detection schemes offered by the RPII. I suspect the take up is still quite low. Although the institute has carried out extensive and excellent work on the subject, it would make sense to have a communication campaign to raise awareness, as other Senators, including Senator Bradford mentioned. The Government does not currently provide grants for radon remediation. When questioned on this in the Dáil, the then Minister, Deputy Roche, stated, "The awareness of the public is considered to be a more effective approach than the provision of State financial assistance schemes to householders for radon testing of their homes or for radon remediation works."

That statement is open to debate. Senator Quinn suggested it might be time to reconsider the provision of grants. The value of the average Irish life is probably worth at least €1.5 million. Assuming we are witnessing the deaths, due to radon gas, of 200 people a year, that is equivalent to the loss to society of approximately €300 million a year. Perhaps grants might be justifiable. However, in the absence of Government grants, we need an effective information campaign. The RPII found recently that 75% of survey respondents were very much aware of the dangers of radon gas but there is little information to determine how many households have taken the necessary steps to alleviate the presence of this gas. In 2006, the total expenditure allocated to the RPII for information awareness campaigns was only €190,000. Such an allocation is not sufficient to raise the level of awareness nationally. One must also consider a possible saving of €300 million in respect of value to the economy if the number of deaths due to exposure to radon could be reduced.

A random survey of radon levels in Irish dwellings was carried out twice, in 1992 and in 1999. Since then, a significant number of houses have been built across the country and, as mentioned, there have been instances where the radon membranes put in place have not been comprehensive. Is it time to carry out another random survey to establish, particularly in new houses in the commuter belt, the levels and presence of radon gas? The previous survey may be out of date. I ask the Minister of State to take on board those points.