Ulster Radon Mapping Launched

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has published a new guide to the level of Radon gas in private homes.

The Radon in Dwellings map is part of the Radon in Dwellings in Northern Ireland: 2009 Review and Atlas Report.

Radon - which is a naturally occurring radioactive gas - is formed as a result of the radioactive decay of uranium, which is present in all rocks and soils.

Radon rises from the soil into the air where it is diluted.

Robert Larmour, NIEA Principal Pollution Inspector, said: "Where radon enters buildings, the levels can build up and, at high concentrations, leads to an increased risk of lung cancer."


In Northern Ireland up to 30 lung cancer deaths a year may be attributed to radon.

"I would encourage those householders with radon levels above the Action Level to implement measures to reduce the risk of lung cancer," said Mr Larmour.

This report updates previous reports and presents the first radon probability map at a resolution of one square kilometre of the Irish Grid.

It highlights 1,200 homes in Northern Ireland have been identified above the Government Action Level for radon.

The report found that the majority of homes in the greater Belfast area have generally low levels and are not a cause for concern.

However, radon levels are raised in parts of the districts of Newry and Mourne, Down.

There is a lesser risk in Banbridge in the south-east; an area in the west centered in Strabane District; areas of the far south-west, south of Lower Lough Erne; a small area east of Upper Lough Erne and several areas in the central districts of Cookstown, Dungannon and Omagh.

In contrast, the probability of high radon concentrations is low in most of the north and north-east of Northern Ireland that lies on a basalt shield.

The exception is a moderate risk area between Ballycastle and Ballintoy on the north coast.

(PR/BMcc)