When Cara O’Sullivan was diagnosed with nodes on her vocal cords, she knew that the slightest slip during the operation would end her singing career, writes Jo Kerrigan

Almost 1,000 complaints about smell and noise from waste and industrial facilities were made to the Environmental Protection Agency last year.

Head and neck cancers linked to oral sex are on the rise, primarily among men, mostly in their 30s, while those linked to smoking and drinking have decreased slightly.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has warned waste facilities to improve standards of operation and storage as it was revealed that six companies were fined a total of €86,000 for licensing breaches in 2013.

The revelation that 121 water treatment plants countrywide are operating way below an acceptable standard is a cause of great concern and highlights the current poor state of water supply in Ireland.

Investment is required to bring “at risk” drinking water supplies that serve nearly 1m people up to future standards, the Environmental Protection Agency has warned.

Ireland falls below strict World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on air pollution for four potentially harmful emissions.

Ireland falls below strict World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on air pollution for four potentially harmful emissions.

Waste water from towns and villages in counties Cork, Donegal, Wicklow, Galway, Clare, Mayo, Waterford, Wexford and Dublin is putting Irish bathing waters and rivers at risk as raw sewage isn’t being removed.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expressed concern about the quality of water supplies at private wells, following the doubling in detection rates of a particularly dangerous form of E.coli.

New utility company Irish Water has been warned it has a lot of work to do to guarantee safe drinking supplies when it takes up its role in January.

The Galway extravaganza kicks away on Monday and it is a real case of the calm before the storm, with Wexford this afternoon the only meeting in Ireland for the weekend.

The 90,000 householders yet to register their septic tank will be in the frontline of a new inspections regime announced yesterday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Homeowners with private wells are being urged to monitor them amid fears they could be a source of a dangerous E.coli infection.

The Mullinahone Maiden at Clonmel last night saw Aidan O’Brien’s Hail finally get off the mark, but the contest was more notable for a nasty incident at the two-furlong pole in which jockey Fran Berry suffered numerous injuries.

THE family of hotel gas leak victim Miriam Reidy has drawn “immense comfort” from their faith following their daughter’s death a year ago.

Three major treatment plants which provide water to more than half a million people need to be modernised to secure supplies, environmental experts have warned.

THREE major treatment plants which provide water to more than 500,000 people need to be modernised to secure supplies, environmental experts warn.

TRAINER John Oxx has been enjoying a real purple patch on his travels around the country this past fortnight and he landed a double at Tipperary last night when Alanza’s victory in the Listed Fairy Bridge Stakes followed up a maiden success for Buffalo Berry.

A GRIEF-stricken uncle of Miriam Reidy yesterday spoke of the family’s devastation at her death.

A KERRY farmer has invented a device that could help save the lives of farmers in danger of being attacked by bulls.

A HORRIFIC car crash in which four young people died in Kerry, spread “darkness over the whole land”, a priest at a funeral Mass for two of the victims said on Saturday.

UPWARDS of 1,000 sympathisers filed past the remains of two brothers killed in the horrific Co Kerry crash on Wednesday.

JUST 40% of the country’s public water supplies have chlorine monitors and alarms fitted to ensure that the water is properly disinfected, the State’s environmental watchdog has revealed.

Failure to detect a man’s heart problems resulted in a father-of-two dying suddenly at the age of 42 and today his family was awarded almost €500,000 in settlement of their civil action against the Health Service Executive.

IT was a sophisticated international smuggling racket that came to grief off the coast of Ireland because someone didn’t know the difference between diesel and petrol.

WATER filtration systems bought by thousands of consumers can make tap water less healthy, according to environmental watchdogs.

The €440m cocaine trial in Cork heard today that the first coastguard officer at the scene suspected it was a drugs drop gone wrong.

A BOAT sank off the west Cork coast and €440 million worth of cocaine floated in the stormy waters as one man made it to a coastal farmhouse to alert the rescue services that another man was still in the sea.

The opening of the biggest drug trial in the history of the state got underway today with prosecuting senior counsel Tom Creed claiming that the cocaine seized in West Cork last year was found to be 75% pure, giving it a value of €440m and not €108m as originally thought.

The inadequate treatment of sewage has been blamed for Irish waters failing to meet EU standards, a new report revealed today.

THE great-grandchildren of youngsters starting school today will never know Ireland’s main cities, if climate changes are not addressed to prevent catastrophic flooding of the country’s coastal areas.

MULTIPLE Group One-winning Flat jockey Kevin Manning will ride the heavily-backed First Author in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham on Wednesday.

Multiple Group One-winning Flat jockey Kevin Manning will ride the heavily-backed First Author in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham on Wednesday.

THE 350,000 septic tanks servicing rural houses countrywide must be inspected more to ensure they are not polluting drinking water and do not pose a hazard to protect public health, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned yesterday

Gardaí were questioning two men today over the fatal assault of a 38-year-old as he celebrated Kerry’s All-Ireland football final victory.

GARDAÍ investigating the death of a 38-year-old man, following a row outside a pub after the All-Ireland, yesterday said some people who may have important information are not fully co-operating with them.

THE Tom Hogan trained Rosnagowloge, who couldn’t win a bumper, has found his real vocation in life – jumping.