Radon company canvassing Kilcullen

A radon gas detection company is currently canvassing homes in Kilcullen, but if you get the impression from their representative that the town has suddenly become a radon 'hot spot', don't lose your cool.

In general terms, Kilcullen is in the '1-5 percent' probability zone for homes to have radon gas buildup, according to the Radiological Protection Institute. They say that hasn't changed.

Radon gas is radioactive and is a natural emission from soils and rock. In most cases it doesn't cause any harm. The radioctivity it emits is actually short-lived, a matter of days, but if it builds up it mutates into other radioactive substances which are known to be involved in illnesses such as lung cancer.

The company doing the canvassing is Radon Detection Ltd, based in Ballyfoyle, Kilkenny. It has been established in the business for about three years, and is one of the approved companies on the RPI's list for checking workplaces for radon. It specialises in checking for the radioctive gas in places such as schools and hospitals.

According to MD Neil Hanaphy, his company has done a wide ranging investigation of homes in the south-east and has found many premises which 'fail' the tests for being radon free.

And he suggests that the limestone geology of Kilcullen could mean that the failure rate of a full survey might be in the order of one in four or one in five homes.

He says that the RPI map for radon probability is based on a survey that may have included just five or ten homes in the area.

"In all of our tests in other areas we've found 'high' homes," he says. "In the case of Kilcullen, what we have from the Government is not enough to say if [the town] is high or low. There will be 'high' homes in the area, but until we get a good number of homes tested, we won't know how good or how bad [the area] is."

Since 1998, homes built in 'hotspot' areas have been required to have anti radon barriers and ventilation. But Mr Hanaphy says that there are many homes built before that time which may be susceptible to radon buildup.

And he adds that the installation of double glazing and other measures to eliminate draughts in such homes could exacerbate the situation.

"When you drive around the country you see homes which have been modernised with PVC windows, but proper vents haven't been put in at the same time," he says. "So anything that is coming is retained. "Some houses get a lot of radon in, but it is dispersed quickly; others get a little radon, but retain it all."

The RPI says that its current maps 'are valid', and that there is no reason to believe that Kilcullen or any other area should have its current radon status changed. But the organisation's recommendation generally is still that all homeowners should have a test done. It involves having two detectors placed in a home for a three-month period, after which they are analysed.

Radon Detection Ltd will provide two detectors to households for a fee of 80 euros, which includes a 'consultation' if the result from the tests is a 'fail'.

The RPI offers a similar service by post for 50 euros. A retest after any remedial works is free as part of the RPI's deal.

Brian Byrne.