The RPII announced yesterday at The Annual Radon Forum in Dublin that it will publish a 1 month home radon test protocol in 2010.

Radon concentrations vary from day to day with changing weather conditions and changing ventilation rates, etc. and for this reason home radon tests are normally carried over a minimum of 3 months. This is often a deterrent to home radon testing and is one of the reasons for the slow uptake of home radon testing in Ireland. The RPII estimates that at the current rate of testing that it will take around 400 years to complete the radon testing of Ireland’s housing stock.

With this in mind the RPII, in 2009, undertook a study to compare the results of 1 month home radon tests with 3 month home radon tests for 500 selected houses in Ireland. A statistical analyses of the results showed that the introduction of a 1 month home radon screening test is feasible. The RPII plan to publish a protocol for this 1 month test in 2010. The new 1 month home radon screening test protocol will include a new lower reference level to take account of the lower accuracy associated with the shorter test period.

This 1 month test will facilitate the introduction of radon testing into the home conveyancing process about which the RPII is currently in discussions with The Law Society of Ireland. The introduction of radon testing into the home conveyancing process is a key recommendation of the World Health Organisation. The RPII estimates that by using the home conveyancing process to drive home radon testing in Ireland the complete housing stock will have been tested in about 40 years. While these measures are positive it is clear that additional meaures will have to be taken to ensure that all of Irelands housing stock is tested before most of us die of old age!

Countries which currently include radon testing in home conveyancing process are Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Canada and the USA. Eugene

Monahan, 20/11/09.