17/06/2008

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

Date of Issue 17/6/08

Following recent media reports regarding the disposal of cylinders containing a fumigant, previously used in agriculture, details follow:

· Two cylinders containing a small amount of a fumigant called hydrogen cyanide, previously used in agriculture, are being stored at the Dublin facilities of Rentokil, a leading pest control company. A further five empty cylinders are also located on the premises.

· This fumigant was extensively used in commercial, agricultural and horticultural operations throughout Europe and indeed the World however it is no longer in use in Europe for these applications. All parties acknowledge that there is a potential hazard associated with this material, and every care and precaution is being taken.

· The advice from chemical experts and the manufacturer is that the cylinders are safe to remain in the building in their current condition and position. The integrity of the cylinders is viewed as sound including the seals and valves. Health and Safety teams have visited the storage site and are satisfied that the correct approach is being taken.

· All parties - South Dublin County Council, Fire Brigade, Army and Department of Defence, Gardai, Health & Safety Authority, Health Services Executive, Environmental Protection Agency, Wicklow County Council and Rentokil - are working together to remove and dispose of the seven cylinders in a safe and responsible manner.

· South Dublin County Council is the lead agency and is exercising its powers under the Waste Management Act 1996 to arrange for the material to be removed in an efficient and safe manner.

· All necessary precautions are being taken and a detailed, risk assessed plan for disposal has been put together. This plan is now being subjected to a further, independent risk assessment.

· The material will be disposed of by controlled burn. This is a safe method of disposal of the material, as agreed by chemical experts and health & safety agencies. The gas will be burned off in a matter of seconds.

· A location to dispose of the material has been provided by the Department of Defence. This site allows for a safe distance from any homes or businesses, as a small charge will be used to open the cylinders to allow access to the material.

· Specialist contractors have visited the sites and have agreed the key requirements with the Defence Forces Camp Commandant.

· Timing of the disposal will be confirmed once the availability of the specialist contractors is confirmed and all plans are finalised.

John Quinlivan, South Dublin County Council, said:

“International disposal experts advise us that the safest way to dispose of the cylinders is by controlled burn. All precautionary principles are being taken and the disposal will take place at a remote Army rifle range in the Wicklow Mountains. The site identified is more than 1km from residential property. We are working closely with the Health and Safety Authority, the Gardaí, Dublin Fire Brigade, Environmental Protection Agency, Departments of Defence and Environment, Heritage & Local Government, Wicklow County Council and Rentokil to ensure the safe disposal of this material.”

Mike O’Mahoney, Managing Director of Rentokil, said:

"There is absolutely no danger to the public resulting from the storage of this material. Following changes to EU legislation we undertook an audit of all storage facilities which is when we discovered the material. While there is only a small amount of the liquid and it is safely stored, unfortunately there is no waste management facility capable of handling the material and the proposed plan is best practice for the safe disposal. We have requested and received support from the relevant authorities to help remove and dispose of the material in a responsible manner.

“We have been working with a number of government departments, agencies and chemical experts in order to agree the right approach. We understand that the plan is now almost ready to proceed under the leadership of South Dublin County Council, and we thank everyone for their ongoing and professional support."

-- Ends --

For further information, please contact:

John Quinlivan, Senior Executive Officer, South Dublin County Council - jquinlivan@sdublincoco.ie