Irish Examiner - 27/07/05
EPA backtracks on official’s role over toxic spill
By Mary Dundon

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) admitted last night it did not know the identity of the “senior official” who decided not to send an inspector to immediately check out the spillage of 252 tonnes of caustic soda into Cork Harbour earlier this month.

Following the embarrassing admission, the EPA is investigating the matter to find out who decided not to send an inspector to the ADM Ringaskiddy plant on July 3 following the leak.

EPA director of licensing and guidance Dr Padraic Larkin said: "We are taking a systematic look at who did what and who said what, to establish the facts we don't know exactly who made the decision, but the person holding the emergency phone was a senior official."

The EPA did not send an inspector to the ADM Ringaskiddy site until 36 hours after the spillage.

Environmentalists and local politicians criticised the EPA for taking the word of the polluter about the level of damage.

But the EPA insisted its director of environmental enforcement, Dr Daragh Lynott, had taken an emergency phone call from the ADM Ringaskiddy plant on the date of the accident.

The EPA said Dr Lynott assessed the situation over the phone and concluded the spillage posed no threat to public health.

EPA director general Dr Mary Kelly and Dr Larkin repeated this statement to the Irish Examiner on Monday.

However, yesterday the EPA said Dr Lynott had not taken the emergency call from the plant because he was on annual leave.

"This statement was an error," Dr Larkin said, adding the EPA is reviewing its emergency response procedures.

However, Dr Larkin said the EPA would take tough action against the company.

"The agency will take appropriate enforcement action against the company and prosecution if necessary," Dr Larkin said.

The Green Party said the latest revelation puts public confidence in the State's environmental watchdog at an all-time low.

"This is utterly bizarre and puts a question mark over whether anyone in the EPA actually took that call on the Sunday maybe the accident report was not discovered until the Monday," local councillor Dominick Donnelly said.