Republican News · Thursday 14 August 2003

Drogheda doctors oppose incinerator

BY ROBBIE SMYTH

Sinn Féin's Arthur Morgan and Joe Reilly have welcomed the open letter by 18 family doctors in Drogheda that they have serious concerns about the building of the 26 Counties' first incinerator in Carranstown, County Meath.

The local GPs raised the fact that the planning approval by An Bord Pleanála had been granted without considering the health consequences of operating an incinerator. The doctors' letter raised concerns about the incineration of chemicals and dioxins, which are "extremely toxic substances linked to a variety of human diseases, including cancer".

The joint letter also states that "research studies have shown a series of clusters of illnesses near to incinerators" and that "today's safe level" of emissions "may be tomorrow's 'unsafe' one".

Louth TD Arthur Morgan, welcoming the letter, said "it is contrary to best planning practices to overlook the health implications of any new development".

Meath councillor Joe Reilly highlighted another aspect of the doctor's letter. This was their concern about emissions from the incinerator leaking into the environment and farmland and particularly into "the food chain and indeed our bodies where toxic effects may potentially occur after many years of low level exposure", according to the GPs' letter.

Reilly told An Phoblacht that this is an issue that should be taken up by the farming organisations. "With incinerators planned for every region on the island ," said Reilly, "the consequences for the quality of farming exports could be enormous as well as the health of the island's population."