Radon is everywhere – even where you live

Many live in the belief that there is no radon where they live. That’s wrong, unfortunately. Radon gas is everywhere. The key question is, how much? The national reference level in Ireland for long-term radon exposure in a house is 200 Bq/m3. There are a variety of reasons why this threshold may be exceeded, no matter where you live.

When we conducted our own studies at Radonova, we found that awareness of radon and its risks is relatively good in Ireland, especially in comparison with other countries. As a result of tha,t the majority of people understand that radon can be found everywhere. However, the majority of respondents to our survey said that they did not believe there was radon where they lived. These conclusions are also confirmed by studies conducted in Canada.

Brief facts – where you’ll find radon

• Radon can be found in the soil throughout Ireland. Its concentration may vary, however.
• Even “low-risk soil” may have sufficiently high concentrations of radon to cause problems.
• Finally, radon may also come from building materials, but this is very uncommon.

How do I measure radon content?

Therefore the only way to find out how much radon gas there is where you live is to measure the radon in the indoor air. If it transpires that the target value has been exceeded, this can usually be rectified at a relatively low cost.

Reducing radon content – cheap life insurance

A common reason why homeowners do not measure radon is that they probably believe any rectification will be expensive and therefore complicated. That’s not usually the case. If measurements indicate radon content above the reference level, there are usually cost-effective solutions to address the problem.

So the resolution of excessive radon levels is therefore a cheap form of life insurance that reduces the risk even more if you or your family members are being affected by lung cancer caused by radon. If you own your home and you address a radon content level that exceeds the target value, you can increase the value of your home when the time comes to sell.

How much does it cost to fix a high radon content level?

Finally fixing a high radon level costs on average between 2,500 € and 5,000 €. Compared to the value of your home, the cost is very low. It’s also a very cheap insurance for you, against lung cancer caused by radon.