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Radon in Irish Homes: Is the Property in a High Radon Area?

Radon is a radioactive gas you cannot see, smell or taste, and it is the second-biggest cause of lung cancer in Ireland after smoking. Some parts of the country are far worse than others, and the map is public.

Radon

What the EPA radon map shows

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes a national radon map on a 10 km grid, built from thousands of indoor measurements. Each grid square carries a prediction: the percentage of homes expected to exceed the national reference level of 200 becquerels per cubic metre. Where that figure is 10% or more, the square is a High Radon Area.

The map is an area prediction, not a measurement of any one house. Two homes on the same road can differ several-fold depending on the ground beneath them, the floor construction and how the house is ventilated. The only way to know a home’s radon level is to test it.

The EPA links radon to around 350 cases of lung cancer in Ireland each year, and the risk is far higher again for smokers. That is why the question belongs in a purchase, not just a renovation.

Testing, and what a high result means

A radon test is two small passive detectors left in the home for three months, then posted to a registered laboratory. Kits cost a few tens of euro from the EPA or a registered measurement service. Because the test takes three months, buyers rarely finish one before closing — which is why knowing the area’s rating before you bid matters.

High results are fixable. Homes built since 1998 should have a radon barrier or sump in place under the building regulations; older homes in High Radon Areas can usually be brought under the reference level with a sump and a small fan. The cost is modest compared with the purchase price, but it is a cost you want to know about before the bidding, not after.

How a VeriSale report grades it

VeriSale looks up the EPA radon map for the property’s coordinates and reports the predicted percentage of homes above the reference level in that grid square.

This is one of 39 checks in the report, each graded A–F with a plain-language summary. The report compiles public data; it is not a survey or legal advice.

What to ask before you bid

Frequently asked questions

What is a High Radon Area?

A 10 km grid square on the EPA radon map where 10% or more of homes are predicted to exceed the national reference level of 200 Bq/m³. Large parts of the south-east, the west and the midlands qualify.

How do I check the radon level for a specific house?

Only a test can tell you — three months with two passive detectors from the EPA or a registered laboratory. Before that, the EPA map (or a VeriSale report, which reads it for the Eircode automatically) tells you how likely a high result is in that area.

Should I pull out of a purchase in a High Radon Area?

Usually not. A High Radon Area means a higher chance of a high reading, and a high reading is fixable with a sump and fan. Ask for any existing test result, budget for a test, and treat remediation as a possible cost rather than a deal-breaker.

Does the VeriSale radon check test the house?

No. It reports the EPA’s area prediction for the property’s grid square, graded, with the percentage. It tells you whether to test, not what the house measures.

Are new houses protected against radon?

Building regulations have required radon protection in new homes since 1998 — a membrane everywhere, plus a standby sump in High Radon Areas. Protection is only as good as its installation, so a test is still worthwhile.

Check this for any Irish address

Enter an address or Eircode and read the radon result — and the other 38 checks — in minutes.

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Where this matters most

County guides that single out radon as a check to read closely:

Radon by county

County figures from the same public records, with how each county compares:

Other checks explained