Lung Cancer Risk As Nine Out Of Ten Kildare Homes Remain Untested For Radon Gas

Friday, 11 July 2025 16:46

By Martin Osborne

Parts of Kildare are officially classified as high-radon areas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Nine out of ten households in Kildare and the wider Mid-East region have never tested for radon gas - that’s according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office.

The data shows that just 9 percent of households in the Mid-East — which includes Kildare, Meath and Wicklow - reported testing their homes for the cancer-causing gas in 2024.

64 percent said they had never tested, while over a quarter of respondents said they didn’t know if their home had ever been checked.

Parts of Kildare are officially classified as high-radon areas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

A radon map published by the EPA in May 2022 showed that areas in southwest Kildare, as well as scattered pockets in the north of the county, are among the locations where more than one in ten homes may have radon levels above the national safety limit.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas and the second leading cause of lung cancer in Ireland after smoking.

Health officials are urging households to consider testing, especially as the majority remain unaware of potential risks.

More from Local News

Kildare Woman Forced To Urinate In Car Park As TD Pushes Law For ‘No Wait’ Toilet Access

Audio

Speaking to Kfm, Kildare woman Maria Crowe, who lives with a painful bladder condition, has to use a toilet every thirty minutes, day and night.
Dublin Jersey Among Tributes To Ryan Weir Gibbons - Death “Unnecessary And Tragic” Says Priest

Items reflecting his life and personality were brought to the altar, including a Dublin GAA jersey, his wallet and phone, a baseball cap, a can of Monster, and a cigarette and lighter - with mourners told he loved a “sneaky cigarette”.
Three Decades Later, Search For Answers In Jo Jo Dullard Case Continues

Audio

Jo Jo was last seen in Moone on November 10th 1995, after missing her bus home and hitching lifts.
Kildare County Council Targets Unused Housing Sites With Planning Permission To Speed Up Construction

From mid-November, the Council will invite developers and landowners to put forward sites with planning permission for at least five homes.
EU Environment Commissioner Visits Kildare Farm Ahead Of Nitrates Derogation Talks

Jessika Roswall is in the country to assess how Irish farmers are managing stocking rates and environmental rules, ahead of a crucial EU decision that could see limits tightened further.
Defence Forces Conduct Readiness Exercise At Whitewater Shopping Centre In Newbridge

Previously, the Army's elite Ranger Wing has conducted training at the same location.
Call For Sanitary Bins In Men’s Toilets To Support Prostate Cancer Survivors

Audio

Each year, around 4000 men in Ireland are diagnosed with the disease, with research from PHS and the Irish Cancer Society finding more than half of men with incontinence feel anxious because of poor toilet facilities.
Own-Brand Foods Often Produced By Same Factories As Big Labels, Says Money Doctor John Lowe

Choosing own-brand products can also save money, with Lowe noting that many supermarket labels are produced by the same manufacturers as well-known brands.