There are insufficient resources in Ireland to assess the possible health risks associated with landfills and waste incineration, a major study published today says.
The report, commissioned by the Health Research Board at the request of the Department of Environment, said "serious data gaps" existed in relation to the environmental effects of landfill and incineration used to dispose of municipal waste.
"These problems should be rectified urgently", said Dr Dominique Crowley, who co-ordinated the study team from University College Dublin, University College Cork and Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin Street.
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A decision by An Bord Pleanala is due next Tuesday on the State's first municipal waste incinerator in Carranstown, Co Meath, which is situated in close proximity to Drogheda, Co Louth.
Meath County Council granted planning permission, subject to 30 conditions, in July 2001. Last August, An Bord Pleanála held an oral hearing into the objections; 70 different parties appealed the decision.
Louth Fine Gael TD, Mr Fergus O'Dowd, called on the Government to reverse its policy on incineration in response to today's report.
"There is now a clear health risk associated with living near incinerators and the citizens of my area will not tolerate it. We cannot now take the risk of Government policy placing this monster in our midst and putting our health at risk," he added.
His party colleague and former taoiseach Mr John Bruton - who is also a TD for Meath - called on the Government to"immediately put a halt to all new incinerators until it has a full understanding of the risks involved."
He said the eport had "substantial implications for people living in the vicinity of incinerators" and for the production of food in the same areas.
On the report, Dr Crowley added: "Irish health information systems cannot support routine monitoring of the health of people living near waste sites.
"There is an urgent need to develop the skills and resources required to undertake health and environmental risk assessments in Ireland. This should be considered as an important development to build capacity in Ireland to protect public health in relation to potential environmental hazards."
The report found there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate a link between cancer and exposure to landfill, but modest evidence for an association between birth defects and residence near some landfill sites.
Dr Crowley said that there is some evidence that incinerator emissions may be associated with respiratory symptoms but said "a link between cancer and proximity to an incinerator is not conclusive."
"Further research using reliable estimates of exposure over long periods of time, is required to determine whether living near landfill sites or incinerators increase the risk of developing cancer," she added.
In relation to the environmental effects of incineration, Dr Crowley said the study concluded that the disposal of municipal solid waste through this method produces a range of volatile and gaseous emissions, which, if released to the atmosphere, can compromise environmental quality.
Mr Michael McKeon of the Drogheda Green Party said incineration "is going to be the asbestos of the 21st century."
"Do we have to wait another 100 years before people wake up to the fact that you cannot dump dangerous chemicals into the environment and expect to get away with it?" he asked.
Mr McKeon said the report gave "no great evidence that incineration was safe" adding: "We should not be using them until we know for a fact they are safe."
He said "certain elements" were at work to ensure incineration was introduced in Ireland, and criticised the fact that the publication of the HRB report came less than a week before a planning decision was due on the Carranstown facility.
He also pointed to a "flaw in the planning" laws which do not allow authorities to take into account environmental impacts when granting planning permission.
