PRO, IDEA,
Madam, - The Irish Doctors' Environmental Association has long been concerned by the high risk of drinking-water contamination from poorly designed and sited and improperly used "solid" waste landfill facilities. We are especially concerned about the risks from the apparently numerous unsupervised illegal dumps.
We have written to both the Department of Health and Children (December 2001) and the Eastern Region Health Authority (twice in May 2002) expressing our concerns and requesting information about the monitoring of water supplies near these dumps. To date we have not even had the courtesy of a reply.
International experience suggests that this could be a serious public health risk and requires at the very least urgent ongoing monitoring of water supplies. The public, particularly those living nearby, are also entitled to see the results. - Yours, etc.,
Dr PHILIP MICHAEL,
PRO, IDEA,
Millbrook Medical Centre,
Bandon,
Co Cork.