Benzene emission risk to small children not provided for in planning regulations, department says

The Department of the Environment says there are no specific planning regulations ensuring that childcare and education facilities are not located close to petrol stations in spite of links found between benzene fumes and childhood cancer.

A decision by Galway County Council to approve planning permission for a creche on the same site as a fuel station in Athenry has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

Mary Delargy, a paediatric nurse who has worked with children diagnosed with cancers in the US Memorial Sloan Kettering hospital, said she was shocked at the council’s decision to grant approval, given the stringent health and safety regulations which generally apply to creches, and the studies linking benzene to increased risk of childhood leukaemia.

Ms Delargy, who runs creches in Athenry and Craughwell, said she had previously explored the possibility of opening a creche on the same site in Athenry, but did not pursue it when she became aware of the risks of benzene fumes.

Jarlath Cloonan of Cloonan Petroleum Ltd said that his Athenry station was fully compliant with vapour recovery systems which ensured minimal benzene emissions, and the proposed creche would be located in a separate building with an independent entrance.

Benzene, which is a naturally occurring chemical found in crude oil, has been identified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and can cause acute myeloid leukaemia in adults and childhood leukaemia.