A plan to use sewage sludge to cover an old toxic mining dump in Co Tipperary has been withdrawn by the mining company, Mogul of Ireland.
The decision was welcomed yesterday by residents in the village of Silvermines who vehemently opposed the proposal for the site, located a few miles from the village.
The decision was made following a declaration from the Environmental Protection Agency that spreading sludge on the 150-acre tailings dump at Gortmore, Silvermines, would be unsuitable to provide a protective covering for the site.
Since Mogul ceased mining operation in the area in 1983, dust containing traces of lead and other toxic substances have been blowing onto surrounding farmlands. Ongoing deep concern has been expressed in the area over the past two decades about the human health implications posed by four disused mining sites.
A number of livestock deaths from lead poisoning prompted a Government-sponsored study on the risks posed to human and animal health from the toxic sites.
In presenting its findings last month, the Expert Group for the Silvermines, chaired by Prof Ian Thornton, found that the area was a safe place in which to live "provided certain precautions are taken".
The Gortmore Environmental Action Group yesterday welcomed Mogul's decision to abandon its plan to spread sewage sludge on the tailings site. "We are delighted with the news, but we are still worried about the alternative that will be proposed to rehabilitate the site," said group chairman, Mr Michael Leamy. Top quality topsoil was one of the main ingredients required to stop the dust blows and to support good grass growth on the barren site, he added.
Local Labour Party senator, Ms Kathleen O'Meara, has hailed the decision not to spread sludge as a victory for the local community.
The EPA has written to the Department of Marine and Natural Resources recommending that a detailed vegetation and geochemical survey be carried out on the tailings site "without due delay" in order to provide a sound scientific basis for proper rehabilitation. The agency has pointed out that the total costs of rehabilitation the four toxic mining sites is €5.5 million.
South American academic Mr Nilton Deza yesterday told locals how 1,200 villages in his native area suffered poisoning as a result of a mercury spill at a gold mine in the Peruvian Andes.