FURTHER studies of human birth defects need to be carried out in west Limerick, where mysterious cattle deaths have been blamed on pollution from local industry, according to the Mid Western Health Board.
A health board report found no abnormalities along the Shannon Estuary between 1987 and 1994. However, the Director of Public Health, Dr Kevin Kelleher, said more research was needed.
It is the first such study in the area around Askeaton.
"We are certain that there has been no increase in birth defects but it is important to stress that the records have been inadequate and we feel we should press ahead with further study," said Dr Kelleher.
A local farmer who has lost over 90 animals since 1989 said yesterday that the research had to continue. "The research must go on. There is something happening here and it is affecting people as well as animals.
"There are a lot of incidents in the area, a lot of miscarriages. But it is up to individual families to speak about them. There are also a lot of people with Alzheimer's disease," said Mr Liam Somers, who has a farm in Ballysteen.
He said the health board had given forms to his family and others in the area, to be filled in whenever they suffered any illness.
"We have skin lesions, rashes, sore throats, aches and pains and fatigue. We have been filling them in for two months. We asked the health board to take us in and test us but we heard nothing back from them about it," said Mr Somers.
Dr Kelleher said one of the difficulties in studying birth defects was the small number of births in west Limerick.
"If in one parish you have two birth defects in the space of one year you have to ask, is this a loo per cent rise?" he remarked. Cases of cystic fibrosis and phenylketonuria (PKU) had been found. They were "almost certainly" genetic "but we want to make doubly sure of this, so we will be conducting further studies", Dr Kelleher said.
The Mid Western Health Board study began in 1995, after concern had been expressed about miscarriages, foetal abnormalities, respiratory illness and cancer. The public health report was carried out by the health board with the help of the Department of Public Health Medicine and Epidemiology at UCD.