Toxic emissions pose huge risk to Nobber, GP tells hearing

The proposal to build an incinerator close to the village of Nobber is "potentially the most significant threat to the health of the most vulnerable groups in the local population" that he would encounter during his professional life, a local family doctor told the continuing Bord Pleanala oral hearing last week into the project planned by College Proteins. Dr Martin White said that the effects of the incinerator would be cumulative throughout its lifetime, adding that the environment would remain polluted and could never revert back to its current status. He said that biomass incineration would give rise to toxic gases and chemicals, including dioxins, which were highly carcinogenic. The North-East Against Incineration (NEAI) group, which represents 7,000 people opposed to the College Proteins proposal, the Nobber National School Parents' Association, and worried local residents also told how regular odours from both the plant and from trucks bringing material for rendering had made village life a misery. Dr White told the hearing in the Nuremore Hotel, Carrickmacross, that he had concerns that the company had no experience in managing an incinerator. "We have lived and worked as a family in the village of Nobber for more than 26 years. Here, we have been privileged to rear our children in a clean, safe environment. The immediate vicinity of the village is an agricultural, non-industrial area with low levels of pollution by international standards," he said. He added that the danger to the health of the local population would arise from many aspects of the incinerator. "Material that is burned is not destroyed. It is changed into many other types of material which, in general, will be potentially harmful and toxic to the environment and people, than the original biomass. The obvious problems will arise from emissions, particulate matter, toxic chemicals and gases," he said. Christy O'Reilly of the North-East Against Incineration said the group had received a mandate from 7,00 people to oppose the incinerator, a mandate to oppose it on the grounds that there was no need for it, along with their fears for the future based on "undisputable medical research of authentic medical organisations rather than industry researchers with a vested interest" and on the past and present performance of College Proteins. Members of the Nobber community who also addressed the hearing were Larry McEntee, George Williams, Mary Reilly, Dermot and Rose Goodwin and Teresa Cassidy. They expressed dissatisfaction with the company's current operations and said there was never any resolving of any complaints made to the company on issues of odours resulting from the operation of the plant, the smell from lorries transporting material to the factory, noise from traffic to and from the plant. It was stated by a number of speakers that ourdoor activities at homes of people affected had been upset as a result of the odours. One resident, Amora Whitley, who lives about one mile from the existing plant, said she wanted to protect "my family, livestock, property and our future in Nobber". She said that during the 13 years they had lived there, College Proteins had been "a troublesome and unpleasant neighbour". She added: "We are continually subjected to stinking lorries on the roads, both coming to and from College Proteins. They have to come directly through the village of Nobber so anyone using the village facilities will have a chance of smelling these lorries, not just as they go through the village but also as the strench lingers in the air." Pauline Finegan, who lives in the village and is a staff nurse on the oncology ward of St James's Hospital, Dublin, said she knew all about the rising levels of lung cancer in Ireland and all about the links between dioxins and cancer "and I am greatly concerrned about the health effects of incinerators, no matter what type. I have read many reports - Irish, English, Swedish, American - and none have left me with the feeling that incinerators can be fully guaranteed as safe and pose no health risk whatsoever to people or the environment." However, a toxicology expert from Germany told the oral hearing that there was no casual relationship between modern incinerators and health problems, air or soil pollution. Dieter Schrenk, professor of toxicology at the University of Kaiserlautern said there was no reason to believe that modern waste incinerators were a major source of nanoparticle exposure and cited scientific articles on this. He said that traffic was "a major source of nanoparticles", on the other hand. College Proteins CEO John Gilroy has disputed claims that the company was unable to manage the plant. He told the hearing last week that his company had established itself as one of Ireland's main processors of animal by-products and that College is continually refining its rendering process to incorporate the best available technologies.