Fungus level in social housing ‘very dangerous’
Research carried out by a senior microbiologist for a human rights hearing taking place today reveals the levels of fungi present in a number of houses in Dolphin’s Barn pose a serious threat to the health of occupants.
The scientific research, seen by the Irish Examiner, reveals that “prolonged exposure” to the fungus could cause a deterioration in asthma and bronchitis.
It goes on to state that if the occupants of any of the houses had a pre-existing lung disorder, the fungus could result in severe disease and could even prove fatal.
The research also states the levels of contamination catalogued are “far greater than I have ever recorded in A domestic dwelling and is a significant threat to the health of the occupants”.
The presence of Aspergillus fumigatus is flagged as “very worrying” since this is a known human pathogen and can cause a variety of lung diseases.
Living conditions in Dolphin House, Dublin’s second-largest remaining public housing flat complex, covering an 18.5-acre site with 436 units, have prompted the human rights hearing, the first of its kind in this country.
Residents who claim they are living daily with health- threatening damp, mould and sewerage will make their case to a panel of human rights experts, including Dr Maurice Manning, president of the Irish Human Rights Commission.
Late last year, Dublin City Council abandoned plans to regenerate the flat complex following the collapse of a public-private partnership.
However, a spokesman for the council said the authority had a project team working with local stakeholders on a regeneration plan.
He said last year residents “had expressed a preference for regeneration and for staying in the area and that the local authority was working to achieve that”.
He said the council hoped to complete “within a few months” the master regeneration plan and to provide information on providing finance for the initiative.
However, he said the council was operating in a “difficult financial environment” and “finance was linked to an upturn in the economy”.
The 1950s estate of 346 flats in 14 four-storey blocks was to have been demolished and replaced with 300 social and affordable units, 300 private apartments, retail and commercial units, and community buildings.
It is understood residents of Dolphin’s Barn first approached a Northern Irish body, the Participation and the Practice of Rights Project, which has resulted in the first human rights hearing on housing conditions.
The case is predicated on the claim that their living experiences violate the UN Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which Ireland has ratified.
