Radon is the biggest source of radiation in Ireland

• Approximately two thirds of our radiation exposure comes from radon gas in the home and the workplace.
• Less than 1% comes from the world's nuclear industry and military testing of nuclear weapons.
• Exposure to radiation from radon in the home and workplace is about one hundred times more than from the emissions from all the civil & military nuclear installations in the world combined!

Radon Map of Ireland

(reproduced with permission of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland)

Ireland has one of the highest exposures to radon in Europe.

This is the result of the original national radon survey carried out by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. Unfortunately, the white areas do not only indicate low radon areas, but also areas where few households participated in this voluntary survey. It is now agreed that all homes and workplaces in Ireland should tested.

Click map for a larger image

How does radon get into buildings? 

.(click to enlarge image) 

•  As a gas, radon can move freely through soil.
• So it can enter buildings via:
  • cracks,
  • joints,
  • gaps
  • cavities
  • etc.
• Outside winds and central heating literally suck radon out of the ground into buildings.
•  Radon can then build up to unacceptably high levels
• This is how buildings collect and concentrate radon.