Investigation urged into health patterns after firm is fined

A call was made yesterday on the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out a joint investigation into any unusual health patterns in Shannon over the past 10 years.

The Shannon-based chairwoman of Clare County Council's special policy committee, Patricia McCarthy (Ind), made the call after the EPA on Tuesday secured its highest ever fine in court against a company for environment breaches.

At Ennis Circuit Court pharmaceutical firm Schwarz Pharma was fined €110,000 and ordered to pay €42,359 in costs after pleading guilty to 11 breaches of its integrated pollution control licence in 2004.

One of the breaches related to air emissions containing 35 times the legal limit of the suspected cancer-causing substance dichloromethane (DCM) in August 2004. The company was also found to have operated a nitration building without EPA authorisation where no limits on air emissions were in place.

EPA inspector John Feehan told the court that if one is exposed to DCM it can affect the central nervous system, though it depended on the amounts and the duration.

Ms McCarthy said yesterday: "There is concern in the Shannon area as to how long this pollution was going on for and the effect it may have had on the local population and environment. That is why there is a need for a joint investigation by the HSE and the EPA into any unusual patterns in people's health in the area.

"Unfortunately we have no baseline data to work from, and that is why statistics over the past 10 years should be checked. Any baseline data should be part of any licence the EPA awards to any company."

In response to the fines, managing director of Schwarz Pharma Ltd, Werner Kunz said: "The company was not compliant in the past. We have spent substantial sums which have corrected this. Our measures also included suspending operations for two months.

"An independent report has now said that 'the site has now been brought into compliance on a consistent basis'. We have new management systems and we have worked closely with the EPA. We have a strong record of compliance since last March, and we are committed to maintaining this into the future."