The Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA), has confirmed that it is
testing a landfill site in Co Waterford for potentially hazardous waste.
Waterford County Council said the material appears on initial examination to be creosote, a toxic wood preservative.
The detailed analysis of samples taken from Tramore landfill is part of an investigation by Waterford County Council into reports of unauthorised dumping.
The council, which operates the coastal landfill, said the "suspect material" has now been isolated in a quarantine area and is being investigated by the EPA.
The material in Tramore was discovered last Saturday after media reports alleged that a tanker containing effluent had brought potentially hazardous material to the site.
A spokesperson for Waterford County Council indicated that while investigations are ongoing, it appears that the vehicle at the centre of the current investigation was allowed access to the landfill site at Tramore on the basis of information provided by its driver suggesting that the material did not constitute a hazard.
The site caretaker was given to understand that the load involved was one of a series being brought in this particular tanker to the landfill site from locations in the Tramore area where the same contractor was engaged in work on behalf of Waterford County Council.
He maintained that the Council was "wholly convinced" that there had been no leakage of material from the landfill to either the sea or near-by wetlands.
"Consequently, there is no reason for public concern at this time. It should also be stressed that the material found was small in quantity," the spokesperson added.