Petition aims to spur U-turn on cancer study

THOUSANDS of people are being asked to sign a petition aimed at persuading Health Minister Mary Harney to reverse her decision not to carry out a baseline health study in a harbour town blighted by cancer.

Anger and dismay were expressed last week when the health minister revealed she did not intend to carry out the study, even though a 500,000 tonne toxic dump discovered in the area, two years ago, contained the highly carcinogenic Chromium 6.

The urban area of Cobh has a 37% higher rate of cancer than the national average, according to the National Cancer Registry.

More than 430 people have been diagnosed with cancer in the town between 1994 and 2007 – which is about one every 11 days.

An online petition is being launched on Facebook, while those notfamiliar with internet usage will be able to sign petitions in outlets around the town.

Meanwhile, Cork Co Council is to be asked to fund a baseline health study if Ms Harney refuses to reverse her decision.

In June 2008, Environment Minister John Gormley, visited the town following the discovery of the toxic dump at Haulbowline island. Mr Gormley promised locals he would ask his Cabinet colleagues to push through a baseline health study in the lower harbour area.

However, last week, both he and Ms Harney said in the Dáil they didn’t believe there was a need for such a study.

Cllr John Mulvihill Jnr said in addition to locals launching the Facebook petition, he and some of his friends would be placing petitions in shops and carrying them around from door to door for people to sign.

“I hope every man, woman and child will sign it as we have a duty to the next generation to get this sorted. It will give us a mandate and we will deliver copies of it to ministers John Gormley and Mary Harney and the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen,” Cllr Mulvihill said.

“As there could be a change of Government one of these days we will also give it to other party leaders and make this baseline health study an election issue,” he added.

Meanwhile, Cork Co Council is to debate the issue next Tuesday after a motion was lodged by councillor John Mulvihill Snr.

He said if Mary Harney still refused to fund the health study he would be asking the local authority to pay for it.

“I will be asking for an independent study to be carried out. I do not believe everything at the site is hunky-dory as the minister for the environment says,” Mr Mulvihill said.

He said an independent study had to be undertaken into the cause of such high rates of cancer and if the problem wasn’t linked to Chromium 6 and the toxic dump then whatever is causing it has to be identified quickly.

The county council is seeking to turn nearby Spike Island and other parts of the harbour into a major tourist attraction. However, Mr Mulvihill insisted the proposal could not progress unless the high rates of cancer were addressed.