The Environmental Protection Agency has discovered Uranium 238 in a well supplying water to homes in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow.
Uranium 238 is a naturally occurring stable isotope of uranium which decays to release radon gas, which can be carcinogenic. In other forms uranium is a common nuclear fuel.
Wicklow County Council has shut down the well, which supplies between 100 and 200 houses in the town and the discovery is to be raised in the Dáil this morning by the Fine Gael TD for Wicklow, Mr Billy Timmins.
Mr Timmins said his concern was to determine the effects on human health of the uranium and he will be calling on the Ministers for Health and Environment to comment on the significance of the find. It is understood that the EPA has been monitoring the water quality in the area since 1999 and has discovered lesser amounts of uranium in the past.
However, it is also understood that the size of the current find caused the agency to warn Wicklow County Council and the shutdown was subsequently recommended by the South Western Area Health Board.
Wicklow County Council issued a statement advising residents in the Baltinglass area that they "may experience reduced pressure or loss of supply due to the shutting down of the Lathaleere well supplying part of the town".
The statement said the Lathaleere well supplied "less than 20 per cent of Baltinglass water and therefore the majority of consumers will be unaffected by this measure".
However, the statement continued: "it would appear that. . .uranium levels in drinking water \ in excess of the World Health Organisation guideline value."
There are no parameters for uranium 238 in either national or EU drinking water regulations, or in new regulations coming into force in 2004. The EPA has now recommended the council survey all public and private water supplies in Wicklow to determine uranium levels in the water supply.
Initial assessments of the source of uranium seemed to indicate that it was caused by localised geological conditions - particularly the presence of granite seams.
Arrangements for a survey are already under way, according to the council, which will use the results to assess fully the implications of the EPA sampling results.
Natural uranium is released into the environment from various activities such as the use of phosphate fertilisers, mining, and combustion from coal and other fuels.
The Government currently runs a campaign to advise householders to have radon tests carried out in their homes and to install ventilation under the floors if radon is detected.
Representatives of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Geological Survey of Ireland and the Department of Environment and Local Government, are advising Wicklow County Council on handling of the issue.
The council said it would keep the public fully informed. It is also making provision for water tankers to supply fresh water.
