Harbour toxic dump inquiry attacked
The shock revelation comes just weeks after Minister for Health Mary Harney refused to carry out a baseline health study in the area, despite the discovery of a 500,000-tonne dump on Haulbowline Island which contained the highly carcinogenic Chromium 6.
The latest news is bound to fuel even further anger among the people of Cobh which has cancer rates 37% higher than the national average.
Deputy David Stanton accused the Government of either attempting a cover-up or exhibiting incompetence by allowing the working group, set up under the OPW, to examine the future of the site without immediately addressing the most important issue – how to make it safe.
In a reply to a Dáil question posed by the FG deputy, the minister with responsibility for the OPW, Martin Mansergh, outlined the terms of reference of the working group, which held its first meeting last April, nearly two years after the dump was discovered.
Mr Mansergh said the inter-agency group’s remit did not include matters relating to contamination, remediation or containment measures. Instead the group has five other functions.
One is to consult with the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces on the Naval Service’s future requirements on the island and any security issues which may arise.
It is also to report on technical constraints, zoning issues and regulatory requirements of the site.
The working group has also been asked to come up with a comprehensive list of possible future uses for the site. This will involve local consultation.
It will assess costs and benefits of these proposals to ensure the preferred options represent good value for money.
Finally, it is hoped that the working group will bring its report to Government by next October.
Mr Mansergh said the issues of contamination, remediation and containment would be considered when the Government is considering the recommendations presented to it by the working group.
Mr Stanton said he was “very alarmed” that the Government still hadn’t decided how it was going to make the toxic waste dump safe.
“I would have expected the first thing this group would do would be to come up with a solution to clean up or contain the site,” he said.
He said there was huge concern in Cobh and the lower harbour area in general about high cancer rates.
“I know we can’t change the past, but I am concerned that in the future we must find the cause of these high cancer rates and try to stop it,” he said.
“What the Government is now doing is putting the cart before the horse. What’s happening now is either a cover-up or incompetence,” Mr Stanton said.
Thousands of people have already signed two petitions in Cobh which were launched when it became apparent that Ms Harney wasn’t going to fund a baseline health study.
The baseline study was proposed in July 2008 when Minister for the Environment John Gormley said he would recommend it to his Cabinet colleagues.
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