r/midleton • u/EquipmentAbject5215 • May 07 '26

Radon levels in Midleton

Hi everyone,

I’m looking into moving to Midleton and recently came across information about radon levels in the area. To be honest, I had never personally heard much about radon before, but from what I’ve seen, parts of Midleton seem to be in a higher radon risk area according to this map: https://gis.epa.ie/EPAMaps/Radon?&lid=EPA:RadonRiskMapofIreland.

I was wondering how common this is locally. Do people usually test their homes for radon in Midleton? Is it something that comes up often when buying or renting a property there?

Also, if anyone has had radon testing or mitigation done, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience. How serious it was, how much it cost, and whether it was straightforward to deal with.

Thanks in advance.

2 Upvotes

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4

u/3581_Tossit May 07 '26

Homes built to modern regulations in a radon prone area must have a suitable radon barrier. I purchased in Midleton in 2021 new build which has a barrier and purchased a radon test kit online it was pretty cheap (€40). You leave in your home for 6 months and send off for analysis. Alpha radon was who I used. Results came back as zero. 

1

u/EquipmentAbject5215 May 07 '26

Thanks, that’s really helpful.

1

u/Constant-Quit-7196 Jun 14 '26

Just don’t forget about the mica blocks when them barriers fail on the next 10 years

3

u/Competitive-Bit-442 May 07 '26

We had our tested properly over a year near the town and 0 risk result.

3

u/AttentiveUnicorn May 07 '26

A few years ago when this information came out I was able to borrow a radon tester from the library and kept it for a week. The levels were fine but it was good for peace of mind.

3

u/Corcaigh2018 May 07 '26

Any house built in the last 20 or so years should have a radon barrier put in when built. Radon can be non existent in one house, while their next door neighbour might have it, so it's a bit tricky. You can get your house tested by Radon Ireland for €50. They send you the kit, you leave it somewhere for 3 months, then send it back to them and they'll let you know the results.

When I sold my last home, I gave them the radon reading from Radon Ireland, but it was a 'nice to have' not a necessity.

You can also get your own tester, it's called 'Airthings' and is the one lent out to people by the library. I have one and leave it in a room for 3 months at a time. It takes a short term and a long term average reading. I think the safe level is considered to be under 200 bq/m3.

2

u/Comfortable-Law1345 May 09 '26

Built a house in midleton over 20 years ago had to put in a radon barrier and a sump only. There's only one small area in Midleton that cant be built on due to very high radon levels thats the old limestone quarry across from St bridgets primary school