‘Town wrongly thinks it has higher cancer risk’

Research in the Cork Harbour region has shown people living in the Cobh area believe they are at a greater risk of cancer because of a nearby chemical dump — even though no evidence exists to support those beliefs.

Fears of a cancer cluster in the wider Cobh area emerged four-and-a-half years ago when an estimated 500,000 tonnes of chemical waste from a former steel plant was found on Haulbowline Island, just south of the East Cork town of Cobh. The waste contained traces of chromium-six, a carcinogen.

There were calls for a baseline health study to be completed after National Cancer Registry figures showed that between 1994 and 2007, the town of Cobh had a cancer rate 37% higher than overall Irish figures. The National Cancer Registry said these figures can’t be linked to the dump at Haulbowline.