Many former Air Corps members, especially those involved in the maintenance of planes in the 1980s, 1990s and since, are suffering severe chronic illnesses that they believe were caused by their exposure to toxic chemicals while working as technicians at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. A toxicologist has given his medical opinion that these conditions exist in the case of six men who are suing the State and that they developed as a result of their exposure to chemicals.
I have been alarmed at the possible clusters of very serious health anomalies existing in Air Corps personnel and former personnel, including autoimmune problems, chronic fatigue, bowel failure, heart conditions, mental health problems, a higher than normal number of birth defects among the children of those servicemen and servicewomen and, in certain cases, infertility.
Central to all this is the question whether the State took all reasonable steps to protect the workers. At least four health and safety inspection reports produced in the 1990s have gone missing. These inspections were carried out on behalf of the State body, Forbairt. The Minister of State claims that one such report has gone missing, but it is in fact four. I know the Minister of State has had sight of at least two of those recently. Did he ask for a copy of those reports to follow up on questions raised in this House? Is he aware that some of those reports exist beyond the two he has seen? On foot of those, will he go back to those authorities, which have files on everything? These are not electronic because it was in an era when most of them were done on paper.
