Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 April 2018
1198. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the EPA is compelled to monitor and assess risks to health from carcinogenic dioxins that may be emitted from industrial plants. [16641/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe EPA is responsible for the licence and enforcement of large industrial plants listed in the First Schedule of the EPA Act 1992 (as amended). This includes incineration and co-incineration plants.
The Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU) specifies the emission limit values for dioxins that apply to incineration and co-incineration facilities. This Directive also stipulates the frequency at which licensees must monitor dioxins. Conditions implementing the Directive’s requirements are written into Industrial Emissions Licences granted by the EPA. The reports of all monitoring conducted by licensed facilities are submitted to the EPA for assessment, and are available on the EPA’s website.
In addition, the EPA carries out a programme of independent air emissions monitoring at industrial licensed sites to check compliance with the emission limit values specified in the licence. If dioxin monitoring is specified in the Industrial Emissions Licence, then the facility is monitored by the EPA on at least an annual basis. Monitoring visits are typically unannounced, and the reports of the monitoring are available on the EPA’s website.
Separately, the EPA conducts an annual milk survey to assess dioxin exposure in the air. The latest report available is the 2016 dioxin survey, the results of which are available online and which form part of the EPA Air Quality in Ireland 2016 report. This report shows that concentrations of dioxins remain at a consistently low level in the Irish environment, and is available at http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/air/quality.
