Urmston, We Have a Problem!
“Just like the American Apollo 13, Luna mission drama in 1970, Urmston is running out of time and clean air to breathe” said Pete Kilvert, Chairman of the Breathe Clean Air Group.
“The proposed Barton Renewable Energy Plant in Davyhulme is a threat to the air quality of Trafford, Salford and the rest of Greater Manchester. Tiny particles from burning wood will blow on the wind causing ill health, disease and premature death throughout the whole county. And just like Apollo 13, there will be an issue with carbon dioxide” he added.
The Breathe Clean Air Group is alerting local people that there is just ten weeks to go before a Public Inquiry into the future of the controversial Davyhulme incinerator. If the Inquiry decides to recommend it, and the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, decides to approve it, the incinerator will pollute the area for the next 25 years.
“We need local people to support us before it is too late” said Mr Kilvert. “We would like residents to speak out at the Public Inquiry, which starts on 13th November at Manchester United Football Ground. We also invite residents to support our fundraising events over the next 10 weeks. Our first event is a Disco and Buffet at Davyhulme Park Golf Club on 21st September. Please see www.BreatheCleanAirGroup.co.uk for details”.
I believe Trafford PCT has a duty of care and an important protective role in this worrying and unprecedented situation because most of the people whose health could be at risk happen to live or work in it’s geographical area or, indeed ,have not yet been born. As we know, many of the serious medical conditions that could develop take years to manifest themselves. In these circumstances, it is therefore appropriate to apple the precautionary principle and act in the most cautious way to avoid unnecessary risk to the population.
Recent Dutch research has shown that foetuses and neonates whose mothers are exposed
even to so-called background levels of dioxins develop a range of problems, including birth
defects, decreased lung function, persistent haematological and immunological disturbances,
delayed puberty, and dental malformations Thus there appears to be no
discernible threshold below which dioxins pose no health risk. But worse than that, recent
Finnish research [ has shown that the carcinogenic effect of dioxins actually increases at
low doses, a phenomenon termed hormesis.