Campaign group claims pupils at risk from biomass plant plan
Children at three Dundee schools could be exposed to a greater risk of cancer if the biomass plant proposed for the city's waterfront goes ahead, it has been claimed.
- By Bruce Robbins
- Published in the Courier : 28.05.10
- Published online : 28.05.10 @ 04.23pm
Campaigners say small particles from the plant's giant chimney would be blown by prevailing winds directly towards Glebelands and Craigiebarns primaries and Craigie High School with consequent health risks.
The World Health Organisation, they say, has identified long-term exposure to small particulates as causing a "substantial reduction" in life expectancy. The WHO also says that studies have failed to find a safe level of exposure to small particulates.
However, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency said emissions from a biomass plant at the harbour would have to meet strict licensing conditions.
The campaign group is Residents Against Tay Turbines (RATTs) — the same body that is opposing plans for two wind turbines at Stannergate.
RATTs has written to Dundee West MSP and MP Shona Robison and Stewart Hosie with information about claimed health risks and urged them to ask "serious questions" of Forth Energy, the firm behind the biomass and wind turbine projects.
RATT's member Brian Duncan said the city's rising topography to the north and east of the proposed biomass site put the three schools directly in the line of emissions.
He said, "Glebelands primary is particularly at risk. Its elevated position only 500m from the chimney stack means that it is in a prime location for the particulates to be deposited.
"These children should not be subjected to long-term exposure to these cancer-causing substances. Because the majority of residential areas in Dundee are elevated in relation to the chimney stack, the flue gases and particulates will not be safely dispersed.
"If the wind turbine proposal is also given approval, the rotation of the turbines will draw the emissions down to a lower level and expose more residential properties to the toxins."
Threat
Mr Duncan cited a WHO publication which said small particulates posed a real threat.
It said, "Because long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) results in a substantial reduction in life expectancy, the long-term effects clearly have greater significance to public health than the short-term effects.
"The effects related to long-term exposure include: increases in lower respiratory symptoms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, reductions in lung function in children and adults and reduction in life expectancy due mainly to cardiopulmonary mortality and probably to lung cancer."
Mr Duncan said, "We've calculated that particulate emissions from a biomass plant would be the equivalent of almost trebling the number of diesel cars on Dundee's roads. The difference, though, is that these extra PMs will all originate from the same source and will tend to concentrate in a specific part of the city.
"We've also estimated from Forth Energy's own figures that there will be an extra 22,000 lorry movements in and out of the biomass plant every year as they will be needed to deliver fuel. Over a normal working day, that's equivalent to six lorries every minute.
"These lorries will most likely be travelling past the entrances to Craigie High and Craigiebarns Primary and that volume of traffic should not be encouraged in this vicinity."
SEPA said the proposed biomass plant would require an environmental licence known as a pollution prevention and control (PPC).
A spokesman said, "Forth Energy have yet to apply for PPC permits for the plant but SEPA will only grant a permit if the operator can demonstrate that the required environmental standards can be met.
"The application process for a PPC permit provides an opportunity for the public to have their say and relevant representations must be taken into account by SEPA when determining whether to grant or refuse the permit."
Ms Robison and Mr Hosie are to reply to RATTS.
Add a comment