Six Irish people who visited the hotel where former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned are to be tested for radiation poisoning.
The Health Service Executive last night confirmed that it is in the process of contacting the six Irish citizens after being advised by the UK's foreign and commonwealth office.
The HSE has been given the details of the six people and is working in conjunction with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) to contact them to arrange testing.
However, the HSE stressed that the tests for Polonium-210, which will be carried out by the RPII, are precautionary. "The HSE would like to point out that there is no threat or danger to the public at large and that this contact tracing is purely precautionary and in line with good public health practice," a statement released last night said.
Scotland Yard is continuing to investigate the death of Mr Litvinenko, who fell ill after a meeting at London's Millennium Hotel on November 1st, and subsequently died of radiation poisoning on November 23rd.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) in England announced last week that all seven bar staff working at the hotel's Pine Bar on the day of Mr Litvinenko's visit tested positive for low levels of the radioactive substance.
They are now trying to contact the other staff who worked at the bar of the hotel between October 31st and November 2nd, and also want to test over 200 people who visited the bar around the time of the meeting.