Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can...
-
Upload
neil-little -
Category
Documents
-
view
215 -
download
1
Transcript of Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can...
![Page 1: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Overview of Radon in Ireland
David Pollard
![Page 2: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
• What is radon• What is the scale of the problem• How can we fix the problem• A national strategy
![Page 3: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
What is radon
• Radon is a naturally occurring carcinogenic gas.
• Relased from rocks and soils and can accumulate in homes and other buildings.
• It is the second biggest cause of lung cancer after smoking and accounts for 10 to 15% of lung cancer deaths in Ireland.
![Page 4: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
What is Radon
• Direct evidence for link between radon and lung cancer in homes - IARC Group 1 carcinogen.
• Effective and relatively inexpensive measures are available to prevent the problem in new houses and to remedial existing houses (once the problem has been identified).
![Page 5: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
What is the scale of the problem
• The National Radon Survey (NRS), 1992 to 1999, identified the scale of the problem in Irish Homes.
• 7% of houses (approx 91,000 houses) are predicted to be above Reference Level
• Further surveys/ measurements in schools and workplaces present a similar picture.
![Page 6: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
National Radon Survey• 11,319 homes
between Measured.
• For each 10 km grid square the percentage of houses above 200Bq/m3 is predicted.
• Squares with > 10% are designated High Radon Areas
![Page 7: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Mean radon concentrations OECD countries
How do levels compare internationally
0
50
100
150
![Page 8: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
How do we reduce Radon levels
• Prevent the problem in new buildings through building controls
• Persuade home owners and employers to test and, where necessary, fix the problem in existing homes and workplaces
• Legal requirements concerning exposure to radon in workplaces
![Page 9: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Home
Workplace
Where does exposure to Radon gas occur
Per CaputExposure to radon
![Page 10: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Identifying houses with a radon problem
• NRS tells us the probability of a house in a certain area having a radon problem
• Only possible to tell if an individual house has a problem is to measure it – adjacent houses may have very different radon levels
• Key challenge is to persuade individuals to measure
![Page 11: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Remediation – Housing
• 79% of housing units are privately occupied (2006 Census)
• Addressing radon in this sector is dependent on increasing public awareness and knowledge of radon.
• Other possible measures include: disclosure during conveyancing, inclusion of radon in schemes such as BER and incentives.
• Persuading individuals to measure remains a slow and difficult task
![Page 12: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Remediation – Housing
• Local authorities have recognised the potential for liability for damage to health of tenants – many local authorities are now addressing radon in social housing
![Page 13: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Remediation – Workplaces
• Legal obligations on employers to provide a safe work environment (H&S Regulations, S.I. 125 of 2000)
• Useful to address radon in the context of other H&S issues (HSA raise radon as an issue in workplace inspections)
• Public education (persuasion) is also crucial in the sector.
![Page 14: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Prevention
• Radon prevention has been included in the Irish Building Regulations since 1998.
• These measures are inexpensive and have negligible impact on building costs.
• There is potential to improve effectiveness of preventative measures through better monitoring and research.
![Page 15: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Prevention vs Remediation
• Prevention– Unit cost low and can be incorporated into
building costs– Can be enforced through building controls– Addresses only new houses
• Remediation– Necessary to identify individual houses– Unit cost more expensive than prevention– Homeowners must bear the cost– Potentially possible to address all houses
![Page 16: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Reducing radon levels
Sector Options
Domestic Public educationConveyancingInsuranceSurveysGrantsDirect intervention (social housing)
New build Building controlsGuarantee schemes
Workplaces RegulationPublic/ employer education
![Page 17: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
A National Radon Strategy
• Radon strategy must address both prevention and remediation and is likely to incorporate multiple elements
• Cost effective mix of solutions (must deliver the maximum impact within budgetary constraints)
• Joined up approach involving: relevant public bodies, professional bodies, service providers, etc
• There are EU Regulations coming down the track which will require Ireland to have a radon strategy
![Page 18: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Strategic Coordination
Public education
Incentives
Monitoring/ evaluation/
surveys
Health and Safety
Regulation
Social housing/ rented sector
Action levels
National Strategy
![Page 19: Overview of Radon in Ireland David Pollard. What is radon What is the scale of the problem How can we fix the problem A national strategy.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022062713/56649cc65503460f94990020/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Some points to take away
• Radon is an important public health issue.
• There are a range of control measures to address both existing and new buildings.
• Radon is best addressed through a joined up national strategy driven by central Government and involving all of the many stakeholders.
• Persuading individuals to measure remains an enormous challenge.