Concern has been expressed by public representatives after the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that it has begun an investigation into a fifth incident at a Cork pharmaceutical firm following a leakage of an acidic substance at the weekend.
The EPA yesterday confirmed that it received a report from ADM of an increase in acidity from the company's surface water drainage system at its plant in Ringaskiddy in the Cork harbour area last Saturday.
The EPA said it received notification from ADM by fax and phone at 1.30pm of a lower than normal pH, indicating an increase in acidity in the system which discharges into a stream adjacent to the site and from there into Cork harbour.
Acidity levels in the drainage system were measured by the company at a pH of 5.08 while normal water has a pH level of 7, though the acceptable range is a pH of between 6 and 9.
The EPA dispatched inspectors to the plant on Saturday afternoon who inspected the facility and identified the cause of the increase in acidity. The leakage was isolated and pH levels returned to normal in the stream.
The EPA said the increase in acidity was caused by a citric acid leak but stressed it was highly-diluted and there was no threat to public health.
An ADM spokesman confirmed that there had been "a minor incident" but he stressed the leakage was "minimal" and said the company had reported the matter to the EPA in keeping with its policy of reporting all incidents.
It is the second incident at ADM in the past two months and follows the spillage of 255 tonnes of caustic soda during a loading operation in early July.
Cork South Central Green Party TD Dan Boyle said the latest incident followed two reported incidents at GlaxoSmithKline at Currabinny and a similar increase in acidity levels in water in a containment pond at Eli Lilly's plant at Dunderrow. "This is the fourth incident in the past week - we've had one at GSK, one at Eli Lilly, one at Dairygold's plant in Mitchelstown and now this one at ADM. If you extrapolate those figures out over a year, it's around 200 incidents which is very worrying."
Fine Gael councillor Tim Lombard said he was encouraged that EPA staff visited the scene immediately on Saturday afternoon.
