Lisburn City Council

Your City Council

RADIATION

What District Councils Are Doing

All Councils in Northern Ireland are represented on the Northern Ireland Radiation Monitoring Group. Its function is to provide quality assured independent information on radiation matters at a local level. As part of this a comprehensive monitoring and sampling programme for radiation has been set up.

Monitoring Programme

Initially background levels of gamma radioactivity from the ground were measured throughout Northern Ireland on a 10km grid basis using portable radiation meters called mini 6-80 instruments. Presently selected sites, one in each council area are monitored quarterly on a rolling programe. These background levels enable changes to be detected more easily in the event of any future radiation incidents and enable a database to be built up of background radiation levels.

mini 6-80 instrument to measure gamma radiation

Permament automated radiation monitoring stations (Argus systems) are sited at five locations throughout Northern Ireland - Portavogie, Belfast, Omagh, Kilkeel and Coleraine. These monitors are designed to continuously check levels of gamma radiation and trigger an alarm if unusually high levels are detected. In the event of any radiation incident affecting the United Kingdom action will be taken by the government under a National Response Plan.

Radiation and meteorological data can be found at the following web address - www.weatherprobe.com

Sampling programme

A sampling programme of foodstuffs and environmental materials has been ongoing since 1984. Samples include silt, fish, shellfish, seaweed, heather honey, meat, grass and water. These samples have been routinely submitted for radioactivity and although they show some contamination, are well within accepted guidelines issued by the Health Protection Agency (formerly National Radiological Protection Board) and are much less than radiation levels from natural sources such as radon.

Results of monitoring are reported on a regular basis and can be found at the following website - www.nirmg.org.uk

RADON

What is radon?

Radon is a natural radioactive gas, which has no taste, smell or colour. It comes from the radioactive decay of radium, which, in turn, comes from the radioactive decay of uranium. Special equipment is needed to detect it. The level of radioactivity in the air due to the presence of radon, is measured in units of Becquerel per cubic metre (Bq/m3).

How can radon affect me?

Radon in the soil and rocks mixes with air and rises to the surface where it is quickly diluted in the atmosphere. In some circumstances, when it enters enclosed spaces such as houses, it can reach high levels of concentration. As the radon decays, it forms minute particles of a radioactive substance which are called Radon daughters which, when inhaled, can be deposited in the lungs. The radiation emitted by these particles as they decay can give high doses to lung tissue and may damage them. This product increases the risk of developing lung cancer.

Sampling for radon

A report Radon in Dwellings in Northern Ireland was published in 2009. This report details the work, funded by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, to produce a more detailed map of the probability of high radon concentrations in homes throughout Northern Ireland and to bring together all the data held in the UK national radon database on radon levels in homes in Northern Ireland. It updates previous reports and presents the first radon probability map at a resolution of 1-km squares of the Irish Grid.

Data from radon measurements in over 23,000 Northern Ireland homes are presented in tabular format by local authority, by Health Board area and by various divisions of the postcode system. The radon probability maps are based on the Irish grid system and show some geographical detail, such as council boundaries, settlements and major roads.

The areas on the maps with a 1% or greater probability of the radon level in a dwelling exceeding the Action Level (200 cubic becquerel) are designated radon Affected Areas

How do I know if my home has high radon levels?

If you have not been invited to have a free radon test and you are concerned about radon you should initially contact the Northern Ireland Environment Agency or the Radiation Protection Division of the Health Protection Agency. A test may be carried out free of charge but if you live in a lower risk area the cost of the test will be about £35.

If measurements are to be made, you will be sent two small detectors: one for the living room, one for the bedroom. The detectors contain special plastic to measure radon and are harmless. After three months they should be returned for processing and you will then be written to telling you the radon level in your home. In some cases measurements for a further three months may be suggested to get a more accurate estimate of the average radon level in your home. Radon measurements taken over a period shorter than three months can be seriously misleading.

What to do if your home has a high level of radon

The recommended action level for radon in existing homes, above which action is recommended to reduce it, is 200 Bq/m3 average radon concentration over a full year. Advice on how to reduce the risk of radon gas entering your home can be obtained from Environmental Health, or Building Control.

For further information on environmental radiation matters contact:

Environmental Health

Lisburn City Council
Island Civic Centre
The Island
Lisburn
BT27 4RL
028 9250 9250.

Northern Ireland Environment Agency
Industrial Pollution and Radiochemical Inspectorate
Calvert House
23 Castle Place
Belfast
BT1 1FY.
028 9025 4754
http://www.ni-environment.gov.uk/pollution/radiation.htm

Health Protection Agency

Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards
Chilton
Didcot
Oxfordshire
Freephone 01235831600

www.hpa.org.uk

Radiation