Fear over blowing up of lethal chemical

PLANS TO destroy 15kg of waste hydrogen cyanide by explosion in the Wicklow Mountains later this month have been confirmed by South Dublin County Council.

Hydrogen cyanide was once a commonly-used agricultural poison and a concentration of 300mg per cubed metre of air is lethal to humans within minutes.

The chemical is listed in Schedule 3 of the UN Chemical Weapons Convention as a potential weapon of mass destruction and it is no longer used as a fumigant in countries which are signatories to the convention.

In a statement yesterday South Dublin County Council said it had been approached by pest-control company Rentokil about the safe destruction of its stock of hydrogen cyanide which has been on site for decades.

The council said the advice from its own health and safety team, chemical experts and the chemical manufacturer was that cylinders containing the material, including seals and valves, were intact and safe.

The council said the operation to destroy the hydrogen cyanide was being overseen with the help of the Army, Department of Defence, Garda, the Health and Safety Authority, the HSE, experts from the private sector and its own health and safety team.

The plan is also being risk assessed by international contractors expert in chemical destruction, while the Environmental Protection Agency said it accepted assurances from experts that the explosion and burning methods involved were acceptable.

The destruction will involve the material being taken by road to Kilbride military camp, near Brittas in west Co Wicklow by Monday, June 23rd. Seven canisters will be involved in the operation, five of which are empty and two of which are partially empty. It is understood the canisters will be placed in a larger container of diesel and the entire surrounded by railway sleepers. An explosive charge provided by the Army will be used to blow open the canisters while the burning diesel will then burn off the hydrogen cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide turns to a volatile gas at 26 degrees and spokesman for the council John Quinlivan said the explosive charge was merely to open the canisters so the material would be buried off “within seconds”.

Mr Quinlivan said there was no doubt that the material was dangerous. But he said all relevant parties had been consulted as to best practice and the location had been provided by the Department of Defence to allow for a safe distance from any homes or businesses. “It can kill, it is dangerous, but the destruction is as safe as we can make it,” he said.

However, Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor John Brady said he was unhappy with the process of destruction and the site. He said locals had not been told of the plans and there was a risk to hill walkers, livestock and the local river, which he said drains into the Blessington reservoir. Mr Brady said it was inconceivable that Minister for the Environment John Gormley, who opposes incineration, had approved the burning of such a dangerous chemical.

However, a spokesman for the Department of the Environment said South Dublin County Council as the waste management authority was the lead agency in the operation. “All contact was at officials level and the department took no organisational role. We only advised and facilitated,” he said.