Water supplies to hundreds of Wicklow homes may have been contaminated by medical waste illegally dumped by "cowboy operators", it was claimed today.
Fine Gael deputy for Wicklow Mr Billy Timmins made the allegation after a second tip was found in Co Wicklow.
Ten acres of rural land next to a main road in Baltinglass were littered with bloodied bandages, swabs and surgical gowns, within several miles of a similar find in Glen of Imaal a month ago.
Mr Timmins called on environment officials to carry out an immediate test on water supplies into homes in the east of the county.
"There are feeder streams which run into the Slaney river which is adjacent to this area," he said.
"There are serious and urgent concerns for the safety and environmental implications of the illegal dumping of hospital waste."
Forensic experts in bio-protection suits spent the day sifting through the waste after police sealed off the site.
Inquiries by Wicklow County Council and the Eastern Regional Health Authority into the dumping of surgical waste are already under way after the discovery of the first dump last month.
Labour Party spokeswoman on health, Ms Liz McManus said there must be prosecutions after the latest discovery.
"It is clear that there are cowboy operators in the waste business who are using Co Wicklow as a low-cost dump to dispose of dangerous and hazardous waste," she said.
"The only motivating factor for these criminals is greed, plain and simple," she added.
Junior health minister Ms Mary Hanafin later told the Dáil the "full rigours" of the law would be employed to catch the culprits.
She said anyone convicted of the crime faced penalties of ten years in prison and fines up to IR£10 million.
"Unauthorised dumping of waste is both illegal and grossly irresponsible," she told the chamber.
Council officials had previously revealed that 200 illegal dumps were thought to be in Wicklow. Thousands more were believed to exist across the Republic.
PA