Opponents of a planned waste incinerator in the south-east received a boost yesterday when the proposal was rejected by Wexford County Council. Councillors voted by 19 to one against the plan, despite the assurances of a Swedish expert, who said that an incinerator would pose no threat to public health.
The decision puts a question mark over a 20-year waste management strategy drawn up by the South East Regional Authority, the central element of which is incineration of the bulk of the 350,000 tonnes of waste produced annually in the region.
Five of the relevant six local authorities have already approved the strategy, but it is unclear whether it can proceed without the backing of Wexford.
Prof Christoffer Rappe, an expert in environmental chemistry from Umea University in Sweden, presented a report to yesterday's meeting on various international studies of dioxin emissions from incinerators.
The proposal under consideration was for a modern incinerator with a very low emission guideline. "I cannot see that this should increase the amount for human intake or any other environmental samples", he said.
Prof Rappe admitted, however, that he had not read an EU study which, councillors said, had reached different conclusions.
Cllr Ivan Yates TD (FG) said that incineration was a matter which required ongoing studies at EU level. "It's not possible to give the kind of categorical long-term assurances that you are giving us today", he added.
The Brussels study, EU Dioxin Exposure and Health Data, had linked exposure to dioxins with a range of health risks, Mr Yates said. These included liver damage, suppression of the immune system, formation of cancers and abnormalities in foetal development.
