‘Sellafield’ threatening tourism potential

CORK’S county manager Martin Riordan is in favour of sealing and capping a toxic waste dump after being told he can’t develop Cork harbour “as a major tourism mecca with a potential Sellafield” in the middle of it.

He made his comments after hearing an impassioned plea from Cllr John Mulvihill (Lab) to do something about the 500,000 toxic waste dump at Haulbowline.

The councillor, who lost his wife to cancer more than 20 years ago, requested the county council conduct a baseline health study in the lower harbour after Minister for Health Mary Harney refused to do so – even after the 500,000 tonne toxic waste dumped on the island was shown to contain traces of Chromium 6, the second most deadly carcinogenic.