The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is planning to undertake radon testing in all of its offices around the country.
The department is currently seeking information from experts on the cost of supplying radon testing equipment, monitoring and results.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) radon is a radioactive gas formed in the ground by the decay of uranium which is present in all rocks and soils.
A person cannot see, smell or taste the gas, it can only be measured with special detectors.
Radon can cause lung cancer when exposed to high levels over a long period of time.
The EPA said that radon causes about 350 cases of lung cancer in Ireland each year.
Radon
DAFM said that radon testing at its offices will be carried out in line with EPA requirements which state that a workplace is tested by placing one small detector in each occupied room on the ground floor and in the basement of a building.
Only rooms where a worker spends more than 100 hours per year need to be tested.
Radon testing must be carried out for at least three months following which the monitors are removed for reading and analysis.
By law employers located in high radon areas are required to test their premises for radon.
The acceptable level, or reference level, for workplaces in Ireland is 300 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m3).
Where a workplace has radon levels above the national reference level, employers must carry out remediation works which will then be followed by a re-test.
Homeowners can also test for radon using small detectors in the rooms where they spend most of their time. The acceptable radon level for homes is 200Bq/m3.
DAFM
DAFM currently employs around 4,000 staff across a range of disciplines including veterinarians, engineers, scientists, inspectors, and administrators.
The department has estimated that it will require some 1,048 detectors across its office network.
This includes some 214 detectors for the Backweston Laboratory Campus and 17 for the department’s headquarters at Agriculture House in Dublin.
The department said that through the request for information, posted on the government’s eTenders website, it will gain an understanding of the most appropriate options available to meet its specific needs.
This information, which must be submitted by 5:00p.m on May 14, will then be used in the development of a tender.