Airport runway study 'inadequate'

The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) failed to evaluate properly the impact on public health of the proposed new runway, a leading medical academic has told a Bord Pleanála hearing.

The DAA made only a "small-scale desk study" of the effects of the airport development on health.

Moreover, the authority did not address properly issues surrounding air quality and noise, Dr Anthony Staines, senior lecturer in epidemiology at UCD, said.

"This is entirely inadequate and falls far below any reasonable expectation that the people of Dublin might have of the role of the DAA in protecting their health," he said

Dr Staines, speaking on behalf of the Portmarnock Community Association, which is objecting to the proposed 3,110m runway, told the hearing that little information on the impact on human health was contained in the DAA's environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project.

The authority's assessment of the air quality issues arising from the operations of the new runway "should be completely redone" as there was no reference of any literature on the human health impacts of air quality.

The issue of emissions from traffic was particularly neglected, Dr Staines added.

The DAA did not seem to be aware of recent literature in relation to the effects of noise, particularly the effects on school children and sleep disturbance. There was "no discussion at all" on the possible effects of noise on mental health, he said.

A health impact assessment should be undertaken he said.

"As presented the assessment of human health impact in the EIS does not appear to be adequate to support planning decisions."

The emissions would all fall below the level where health implications would apply, the authority said.