Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland annual report and accounts, 2004

摘要

I'm pleased to Introduce the Annual Report and Accounts ofudRadiological Protection Institute of Ireland for 2004. The yearudone of good progress in enhancing in a number of ways theudprotection of people In Ireland against hazards arising from ionisingudradiation, whether these hazards originate from Within the countryudfrom abroadudit is by far the dominant source of radiation exposure of the Institute continues to devote significant effort toudprogramme of reduong exposure to radon both at home and Inudworkplace. The Increase of more than 150% in the number ofudmeasurements undertaken by householders dunng the yearudcompared with previous years demonstrates the success of thisudprogramme The result of research commissioned by the Instituteudfound that 75% of the general population aware of radonudis also an indicator of progress. However, despite increasingudawareness of the issue, the number of houses with radon levelsudthe reference level which have been identified to date remainsudlow at about 3,5% of the total estimate of 91,000. Of theudhouses identified, indications are that less than 100 have beenudremediated. While the apparent apathy in Ireland concerning radonudmirrors that In many other countries, the health risk is such that theudissue cannot be ignored and the Instrtute is committed to developingudand innovative strategies to encourage householders to reduceudexposure to radon in their homes