FIE is today publishing a Report about the industrial legacy of contamination at Haulbowline with more than 20 photographs, including those of waste being buried on the island during the 1990s.

A companion ‘Briefing Document' contains analysis of Reports, documents, and emails relating to dumping on the island 1974 - 2008. The Briefing Document includes the laboratory results from testing of the surface of the site during 2008 and of the hazardous waste exported to Germany 2007 - 2008.

The results in these tests make it clear that the levels of heavy metals on the East Tip of Haulbowline Island are many times the DIV [Dutch Intervention Values] and far, far, far in excess of what Irish law permits or what the Department of the Environment has revealed.

Toxic Island: The Story of Haulbowline Island   |   Briefing document   |   Press Release

NEW:
The Department of the Environment told the Irish Examiner last week that ‘The contractor may have sent them but we cannot locate them [NRGE Report]'.

We add to our BRIEFING DOCUMENT a 28 August 2008 letter from the Department acknowledging the delivery of the Safety File confirming ‘Section 4 contains a report by a NRGE Engineer'. It also refers to section 5, ‘Shipping Analysis Reports by Ships.'

The Department must stop the cover-up now and release these test results, which show levels of contamination far far far beyond anything suggested by the figures released to date by the Minister.

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FIE is publishing a Report commissioned by the Department of the Environment about Haulbwline Island which the Department received in September 2008 - belying the Minister's promise ‘to be as transparent as possible' and to place ‘relevant and accurate information in the public domain to counter the misinformation being circulated'.

A spokesman said ‘White Young Green's conclusion was the ‘concentrations of contaminates' was not high enough ‘to transport to potential receptors'. This report shows that in fact some concentrations of heavy metals analysed exceed the recent White Young Green Report by more than 1,000,000%.

Read the Report    |    Press Release

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Cork County Council has used ‘cabinet confidentiality' to refuse FIE their technical reports and in internal communications relating to the ongoing clean up of the Irish Steel site on Haulbowline Island, County Cork.

The steelworks occupied 11 ha of the central portion of the island and 9 ha known as the East Tip. Almost all has been created by infill and is subject to tidal influence. While 100,000 tons of contaminated soil has been exported in 41 shiploads to Germany for treatment to date, almost 500,000 tons remain.

However, documents released to FIE by the EPA show that ‘emergency response activity' was triggered when a contractor's machinery sank into a toxic ‘sludge pit' on 2 February 2008. The contractor was given ‘no knowledge that there were oil sludge pits at surface level'. It is now alleged that Reports held by the Irish authorities show they knew of the dangers to which the workers would be exposed but these documents were not disclosed.

Contaminants includes heavy metals such as mercury, zinc and lead as well as hydrocarbons, PCBs and Chromium 6, highly toxic carcinogens. Radioactive material is also present.

Every indication is that this is the largest and most extensive pollution incident in the history of the state.

Read our view in the Irish Examiner

View the documentation released by the EPA

And view Cork County Council's ‘cabinet confidentiality' refusal!

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FIE has welcomed the intervention of the Dutch authorities in impounding 6 containers of farm plastic waste from Ireland. The waste is a vector for animal disease and invasive plant material. See the Sunday Times story today.

The material is heavily contaminated to the point where British Polyethylene Industries (BPI) in Scotland have told FIE that is was necessary to impose a surcharge on Irish farm plastic because of its excessive contamination, which included not only dead animals but the motor of a Ford Anglia.

 However, to date the Irish authorities have considered it ‘green list' waste and have not subject it to any export controls, in spite of representations from FIE and others. See our (unanswered) Letter to the Minister for the Environment.

Exported to Asia and China, bales of contaminated plastic are swung into rivers where - for example - a worker with a machete slashes them to allow the river water to clean them before recycling.

FIE is supporting MEP Caroline Lewis's call for an investigation

by the Commission.

It is calling on John Gormley to address these concerns and to give the full figures about this plastic waste. One Irish yard is reported to contain 15,000 tons of soiled farm plastics and shipments are alleged to have continued by road as late as last week.

Press Release.

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