Green Party calls on Government to drop €50 charge for Radon testing

Press Release: Environment 16 November 2006

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16 November 2006

Green Party calls on Government to drop €50 charge for Radon testing

The Green Party has called on the Government to drop the €50 charge for Radon testing in high risk areas as new figures from the World Health Organisation show that deaths in Ireland from radioactive radon gas are higher than in other countries. Currently, households are being charged €50 by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) for the placing of testing devices in their homes.

Green Party Environment spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said today: "We are calling on the RPII to waive its €50 fee for a radon monitoring kit in high risk areas. The Government should provide additional funding to enable the RPII to do this.

"Charging €50 for a Radon test means that many households are simply not getting their homes checked. This should be carried out for free in high-risk areas. As the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland holds its Fifth National Radon Forum in Galway, we are calling on Government to take a small practical step to reduce the risk from this naturally occurring radioactive gas.

"It would cost less than €5 million to measure the Radon in the 90,000 homes in high risk areas. This investment could save lives. Nine per cent of lung cancer deaths in Europeare due to radon exposure. Over 200 people die every year in Ireland from lung cancers that can be attributed to Radon Gas."

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can accumulate in houses and cause cancer if levels are allowed to remain high. A radon measurement is carried out by placing two small testing devices in the house for a period of three months. At the end of this period the detectors are returned to the testing laboratory for processing, and household are subsequently informed of the levels of the gas in their home.

Ciarán Cuffe is a TD for the Dún Laoghaire Dáil Constituency. Ciarán can be contacted at Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 96 Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire Tel. 284 6060 or 618 3082, Fax 618 4341, Email Ciaran CiaranCuffe.com, or Text Ciaran on 087 265 2075.