Estimated Price

£500

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Project Summary

Our group, Irvine without Incinerators, wishes to monitor air quality in Irvine, to reassure worried locals that the Waste Incinerator at Oldhall West is not producing more than permitted levels of pollutants, in particularly NO2( nitrous dioxide). We propose to use the funding to pay for an appropriate monitioring machine.

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Project Description

The waste incineartor  currently being built at Oldhall West is due to begin operations  around the turn  of the year. It will only be allowed operate once Scottish Environment Protection  Agency (SEPA) have  issued a permit. Once the permit is issued the company operating the incinerator is responisible for controlling emmisions , monitoring them, and self reporting.

Waste incinerators are associated with a rise in  air pollution, including to Nitrous dioxide, which is considered to cause 'significant' harm to humans, even at levels lower than those permitted in the UK.( see photo for quote) As there will be no other independent monitoring of emmissions our group is seeking funds to by the equipment to monitor Nitorous Dioxide emmisions ourselves. Currently the only public air quality monitoring station is in the centre of Irvine, at the cross. We understand there will be two points for monitoring at the waste incinerator, one on the back-up diesel generator ( checked every 5 years) and the other on the stack. None of these existing monitoring arrangements wil give a real idea of air quality changes inthe wider area around the incerator once it begins operations.

If our results, are as , we hope ,that there is no rise in  air pollution in the Irvine area we can publicise this reassuring information. In the unfortunate event that we find  that emissions are dangerous to health we can alert SEPA and the appropriate action can be taken to protect locals.

One of the reasons why locals are so concerned about this  possible threat is that they were alarmed by the 2 battery fires in Kilwinning, which caused significant changes to our air quality. The plant in Kilwinning had all it SEPA permits. Many locals feel that the permits were not adequate to provide real proection and they wish further reassurance about potential threats from  this  larger plant, closer to Irvine. 

The cost of a hand held monitor suitable for the job is around £500. This is the only equipment we are seeking funding for. Our group has a bank account.

I attach a document which explains the dangers of emmissions from  waste incineratros, with partuiclar reference to the gas we wish to monitor.