RADON TESTING

Photo: All new and old houses should be tested for radon

Ian
I live on the east coast of Inishowen. A neighbour told me that they are testing their house for Radon. What is this? Thank you N.M by e-mail

Reply
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, which originates from the decay of uranium in rocks and soils. It is colourless, odourless and tasteless and can only be measured using special equipment. When radon surfaces in the open air, it is quickly diluted to harmless concentrations, but when it enters an enclosed space, such as a house or other building with poor ventilation, it can sometimes accumulate to unacceptably high concentrations.


Radon decays to form tiny radioactive particles, some of which remain suspended in the air. When inhaled into the lungs these particles give a radiation dose, which may damage cells in the lungs.


Since July 1998, every new house is required to incorporate some degree of radon preventive measures at the time of construction in accordance with the revised Building Regulations (and particularly Technical Guidance Document C to the Regulations) published by the Department of the Environment and Local Government.


The degree of protection required is dependent upon whether or not the site is located within a High Radon Area. Looking at the map of Inishowen on the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) website, we can see that the highest concentrations around the peninsula are in the Moville to Greencastle area. Although the levels are highest here this isn’t an indication that your house is affected. Throughout Ireland there have only been about 2000 cases of high Radon levels in houses so the odds are in your favour.


Experience has shown that radon levels may vary significantly from one building to the next and that the radon level in a house cannot be reliably taken from measurements in other houses in the neighbourhood. Consequently, the Institute recommends that all householders have a radon measurement made to determine the radon level in their home. Where high radon levels are found, householders are advised to consider having remedial work carried out to reduce the radon level.

The radon level in a house can be measured simply and inexpensively. It is usually carried out by placing two small testing devices (detectors), in the house for a period of three months. At the end of this period the detectors are returned to the testing laboratory for processing. This procedure can be carried out entirely by post and there is no need for anyone to visit the house. A three month measurement period is recommended because radon levels in a house can vary considerably from day to day due to changes in the weather conditions, ventilation, building usage, etc. It is generally considered that measurement over a shorter period than this does not give an accurate representation of the exposure to radon in the home. Have a look at the Radon website for more information. www.rpii.ie/radon

The Institute provides a radon measurement service to householders at a price of €45. More information on radon, including an application form for a measurement, can be obtained by contacting the Institute on FREEPHONE RADON 1800 300 600 or by emailing radoninhomes@rpii.ie, giving your name and address.

PREVENTATIVE STEPS.
There are preventative steps you can take if you want to be on the safe side.



Seal all the gaps in your floors.
Improve indoor ventilation.

As always good old fresh air comes to the rescue!
Put in natural underfloor ventilation.


Lastly you could opt for the expensive underground sump. This pumps out the air from under the house into the air. It is an option only if you get tested and find the amounts in the house are at a dangerous level.



Environmental.

POLLUTING ISSUES

There was a law passed recently to come down hard on people who pollute waterways. The fines, if the local county councils can implement them, will be very heavy. Industries that pollute private or public supplies could be charged up to 5 million euro or some employers facing ten years in jail. Private individuals who pollute the waterways will face up to 3000 euro with a maximum jail sentence of twelve months. More responsibility will rest on house owners and builders to ensure that no blockages to sewers take place. This sounds all well and good, but it will be a difficult job to bring the offenders to court. The environment health department are probably flat out coping with litter, noise pollution and poor housing.

One environmental issue that also makes the news quite often is burning rubbish. This act can incur a fine; at present this stands at 1270 euro if the case is taken to court. Burning rubbish is a real problem, especially now the population is growing and with it the increased waste that is being generated. At present Ireland generates 2.3 million tonnes of household and commercial waste every year. (I’d say this isn’t taking into consideration the amount of illegal dumping that is going on). This is an increase of over 60% over the last five years. Going into more detail that works out at 600 kg of waste per head of population, (that’s the weight equivalent of twelve sacks of coal or nearly 300 bags of sugar). Because the waste disposal in the county is charged to the customer, a lot of people tend to go for the cheaper option of burning their waste. Household waste contains a range of material from plastic, metal, glass, paper, cardboard and a wide range of garden waste. All of these products can give off toxic fumes.

BURNING WASTE
Most years around the summer solstice we find plumes of black, toxic smoke rise from the peninsula. This is because of the large bonfires that are set alight at this time of year. I went round the sites to take photographs of the burning, as I wanted to see what was causing the sky to darken. On some of the fires were washing machines, fridges, metal gates and water tanks. There were car and tractor tyres and all manner of plastic items such as broken children’s toys. They were thrown on to the fires for the fun of the flames but without thought for the environment (including danger to peoples homes). Now before I come across as the sort of person who has an answer to this problem, I haven’t. As long as excess packaging is produced, plants and trees grow and consumers consume plastic and metal, there is no easy answer. I don’t think that many people could live today without accumulating some of tomorrow’s junk.

Plastics and certain paper products (like glossy magazines) produce some of the most toxic pollutants when burned. Plastic and rubber, like from a tyre, are particularly toxic. Most people tend to put a match to their rubbish when the air is still, this is a dangerous time to set a fire as the harmful particles and gasses in the smoke can remain at harmful levels for days. This can trigger all sorts of respiratory problems. Headaches and eye irritation are other signs of taking in the fumes.

Many of the items burned in the fires produce dioxins. These settle in fields where they can be eaten by livestock. Some of the dioxins could come back into the food chain in milk or in animal fat. Some dioxins are stored in the body and at least one dioxin, TCDD, has been classified as cancer forming.

Some people feel that a small fire does no harm. But almost three quarters of dioxin emissions in Ireland come from domestic waste burning.

ALTERNATIVES TO BURNING
There are some things we can do to keep the damage to the environment to a minimum. Try the three R’s REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE. Try to buy products that have little or no packaging, try to find uses for plastic containers. Take anything that can be recycled to the council yards. Plastic, glass, oil and cardboard can all be reused.

Further information can be found at: VOICE (Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment) tel. 01 475 0467 or e-mail avoice@iol.ie and the Web page is www.voicebuz.org You can pick up an information leaflet at the local council office.

Environmental.

JOBS TO DO IN JULY

IN THE GREENHOUSE

Watering
All potted plants need a daily check for watering. Add a full-strength liquid feed once a fortnight or a dilute one more regularly.

Ventilation
A protective shield against the sun might be a good idea this month. Whitewash of shade netting will do. Open ventilators and doors every morning, but close them again on cool evenings. Do check that birds or cats aren’t getting locked in overnight, use netting to keep them out if necessary.

Growing bags
Never let crops in growing bags go short of water. Standing the bags on gravel trays or on reservoirs with wicks through the base can prevent drying out. I used to cut holes in the bottom of the bags in the polythene tunnel so the roots could spread out into the soil if necessary.

Glasshouse pests
Biological pest control can be used at this time of year against whitefly and red spider mite.

Cuttings
Pot on rooted cuttings of pelargoniums, fuchsias and other plants as soon as the roots have filled their pots. Take cuttings from the non-flowering shoots of shrubs and climbers.

KITCHEN GARDEN

Fan-trained fruit
Unwanted shoots should be cut off plums and apricots to maintain the fan shape. With figs, prune out the tips of any unwanted sideshoots after the fifth leaf, or remove them completely.

HERBS
Woody stemmed herbs such as sage and thyme produce lots of fresh healthy new shoots at this time of year, which will quickly root if taken as cuttings. We had a lemon balm plant outsaide of the back door that was getting far too big for its site. We cut the plant right back only two weeks ago ant the plant has made a full recovery and is being very well behaved and compact.

HARVESTING
Harvest beetroot and other crops while they are still young and tender. Early potatoes will be ready to harvest soon,. Check one plant first to assess the crop size. Leave them to develop further if the potatoes are too small, and water the rows every week. Check for the dreaded blight, I have already heard of one disaster on in the area, even though they sprayed with copper sulphate.

FRUIT CROPS
Enjoy the fruits of your labours by picking rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, currants, cherries and gooseberries. Remember that if you do net fruit bushes to keep birds away, check the netting daily to ensure that no birds have become trapped.

SWEETCORN
Plant out pot-grown sweet corn. Place the plants in blocks, not rows, spacing them out about 45cm (18in) apart each way. We mad the mistake of planting out our seeds directly in to the soil early on in the season. The result is that we have no corn plants this year!

SEED SOWING
The following vegetable crops can be sown directly outside now if you are quick: lettuce and salad leaves, radishes, kohl rabi, spring cabbage and endive, plus dwarf French beans for a late crop. Winter spinach can be sown from July to September.
Above all remember to take things easy this month. You do not want to break out into a sweat!

Horticultural.

MILK SPRAY

How is your garden after the relentless heat of the last couple of weeks? Maybe you have a small enough garden to water frequently. If not in drought conditions you will need to look out for vulnerable plants that will suffer. Don’t worry too much about the grass though, that can stand the dry and will soon pick up like magic after a good downpour. Remember to really soak your containers and baskets too. If they have dried out then you will be as well off soaking them in a bucket of tepid water, dip your feet in whilst you are at it.

MILK SPRAY

Can you use milk to clean leaves? RB by e-mail

Reply.
Milk is good for cleaning the leaves of houseplants such as the cheese plant. It is far more versatile than that though. You can spray milk on to apples and lettuce to control mildew. For large areas, dilute one part milk to nine parts of water, unless it is skimmed milk then it’s practically all water anyway! The other idea is to dissolve 1lb (450g) of dried milk into a little hot water and then add 1 gallon (4litres) of cold water. Spray on to tomatoes and cucumbers when planting and then every ten days

Horticultural.

ME AND MY MOTOR -PAUL DOHERTY (ROE)

Paul Doherty (Roe) from Buncrana has something special to show us this week. Paul is the proud owner of a beautiful Beauford Open Top Tourer. The car was made in 1972 by an English car company called Beauford and owned by Gordon Geskell, the company founder until being shipped over to Inishowen.

The design and colour of the car makes it an ideal vehicle for public events and Paul is more that happy to hire it out for weddings and formal occasions. The car’s other use at the moment is publicising the families new company, (and doing a very good job too!). The new premises called Elite Appliance Centre in the Milltown Business Park, Buncrana, is a purpose built 3000 square foot superstore displaying a wide range of electrical and indoor and outdoor lighting products.


Tell me more.
The car was the original prototype that appeared in all of the company’s promotional material and made to a very high standard with a fibreglass body and steel chassis. The company that made the car are still in business and there is also an owners club www.beaufordclub.org.uk . Here you will find all sorts of information as well as seeing Beauford cars for sale.

When do you get to drive the car?
I use it as often as possible, usually at the weekends. My daughters love being driven around in it and are amazed at the amount of attention it attracts.

Is it reliable?
It couldn’t be better. The car is quite modern, despite looking like it was built in the 1930’s. It has a really reliable 6 cylinder Nissan 2.6 engine and every part is accessible to work on if needed. The road holding is superb and there are five gears as well.

What is the best thing about the car?
Taking the hood off and having the children in the car on a sunny day.

How often do you wash it?
I very rarely wash it. The paintwork is so shiny that the muck doesn’t stick to it. It might be something to do with the large mudguards too!

How would you help motorists?
Reducing tax would be the most beneficial thing to do for motorists.

What would you like to be driving around in?
A Ferrari maybe but for driving around the peninsula, maybe a Hummer!

Motoring.

CORNCRAKE IN INISHOWEN

BirdWatch Ireland are doing their annual survey on corncrakes and there have been a few sightings around Inishowen. At one time, not too long ago these shrill birds were commonplace in the fields but over the years their numbers have been on the decline. One major factor is the change in how land is managed. The modern method of collecting hay and silage means that the birds are driven into the centre of the field and killed by the machinery. BirdWatch Ireland offer limited grants to farmers who will delay their cutting until the 1st of August and also cut from the inside outwards to give the corncrake adults and their young a chance to get to the outer edges and ditches of the field.

NEEDS
Corncrakes need tall vegetation such as nettles, iris patches, reed grasses and cow parsley during April and May to provide cover when they arrive in Ireland from Africa. These plants give shelter until the meadows have grown tall. In the breeding season around June and July they need hayfields to cover the nests and young, so the cutting times and grazing times of the land is important.

ATTRACTING
If you are interested in attracting corncrakes then the density of cover is important. The birds will not use early cover if they cannot move easily through the vegetation. If there is a mat of dead or woody stems on the ground the area may be unsuitable. The easiest way to thin it out is to open the land up to grazing in the autumn and early winter.

The corncrake is one of many wild birds whose numbers can be increased with wildlife friendly land management. If you would like details of grants and corncrake habits ring Sandy on 074 91 65177.

The Corncrake project is run by BirdWatch with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Duchas, the Heritage Service

Environmental.