Cork Harbour leak fears after toxic dump breach

Fears have been expressed that defences erected around a toxic dump were breached during the recent hurricane, releasing potentially harmful chemicals into Cork harbour.

Cork County Council is carrying out an investigation into the claims after two councillors based in Cobh said they’d seen a breach in embankments on the northern site of the East Tip on Haulbowline Island.

The existence of the dump, which is adjacent to the former Irish Steel/Irish Ispat plant, was revealed by the Irish Examiner in the summer of 2008. It contained a number of heavy metals and traces of the highly carcinogenic Chromium 6.