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.

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