Cobh residents will get the opportunity to have their questions about a toxic dump answered by experts at a public meeting tonight.
Cork County Council is holding a public consultation meeting in the Commodore Hotel from 6.30pm to 9pm on the area known as the east tip at Haulbowline Island. Fears have been raised in recent years that higher than average cancer rates in Cobh could be linked to the dump on Haulbowline.
For decades the steel industry used the east tip of the island as a means of disposing of the byproducts of the steel-making industry. It created one of the largest exposed toxic dumps in Europe, with an estimated 500,000 tonnes of waste, including carcinogenic metals and septic lagoons.
Health and environmental concerns have been associated with the site for around two decades. But it wasn’t until 2008 that the extent of the problem was laid bare, when an environmental consultant produced reports that showed carcinogenic metals such as Chromium 6 were amongst the thousands of tonnes of dangerous waste on the island.
It was then revealed that Cobh town — which lies just across a narrow stretch of water from the dump site — had cancer rates that were 37% higher than the national average, leading some people to question if the cancer rates were linked to the dump. Minister Simon Coveney promised to make the dump a priority and asked Cork County Council to become his agent on the matter. The council appointed an expert team to study the area.
At this evening’s public meeting, the council’s project team will make a number of presentations and will answer questions from the public.
The council has stated that its solution to the problem will involve containing the site, removing hazardous material from the site, or a combination of both.