GP's claim abattoir link to disease

Originally from: mona parr
                        

Mon 16 Dec 2002
DAN MCDOUGALL

FAMILY doctors believe there may be a link between the practice of spreading abattoir waste on fields and unexplained illnesses in a central Scotland village.

The GPs in Blairingone, Kinross-shire, spoke out as the Scottish Executive prepared to announce plans to end the spreading of untreated organic waste on farmland.

Blairingone residents claim a link between illnesses and the work of Snowie Ltd, who took over a former opencast site near the village in 1997 to treat animal remains, sewage sludge and food processing waste.

Snowie won the majority of government contracts to dispose of slaughtered animals after last year\x{2019}s foot-and-mouth outbreak.

One GP, who asked not to be identified, told The Scotsman, that a number of doctors in the area had compiled dossiers on illnesses among locals.

He said: "There certainly appears to be a particular trend in illness in the village, particularly among children.

"Myself and at least two other GPs in the area fully believe the practice of spreading waste on local fields has to be a causal factor in outbreaks of blisters and throat conditions among schoolchildren."

Last month the Scottish Parliament assigned the Glasgow MSP, Dorothy Grace Elder, to investigate an outbreak of illness in the village.

Residents first highlighted concerns about an alleged link between spraying waste by Snowie and illnesses – including German measles, viral meningitis and chronic fatigue syndrome – back in 1997. Others have complained of asthma, large blisters, sore throats and itchy eyes.

Ms Elder said she remained open-minded about the outcome of the investigation.

She added: "If local GPs have information they believe links asthma or any other illness to the practise of spreading slurry, then I will be most interested in hearing from them. I would welcome any evidence to this effect but above all this investigation will be fair and I will also be speaking to Snowie Ltd at length.

"This is an independent inquiry and has no political agenda. What is important is we find out the truth about these allegations for the sake of the local people and the company."

Residents have been handed a questionnaire by Ms Elder, who is expected to report to Parliament before the end of the current session in March.

The Independent MSP already has extensive experience in the field having campaigned against a landfill site in Glasgow which residents feared was linked to a high number of miscarriages.

Managers at Stirling-based firm Snowie insist there are "question marks" over the claims of the residents.

But Duncan Hope, convener of the Blairingone and Saline Action Group, said: "The involvement of Ms Elder is a significant development. There have been a number of illnesses, rashes and blisters which we cannot account for.

"We just want to know what has been causing our illnesses and until there is evidence supported by scientific fact to say otherwise, there is always going to be cause for concern."

Under current legislation, organic waste, including sewage sludge, blood and gut contents from abattoirs, septic tank sludge and animal manures, can be freely spread on land but The Scotsman has learned that the Scottish Executive will soon move to outlaw the practice.

European legislation in the 1990s stopped the dumping of effluent at sea and instead recommended spreading sewage on agricultural land as the best alternative option. Until the Snowie Group stopped spraying at Blairingone in 2000, the 100 residents counted 26 cases of illness they allege could be linked to the fields.

Villagers in Blairingone have raised most concern about the health of local teenager Tom Coles, 16, who has been plagued by serious health problems for five years. Since Snowie began spreading waste on a field close to his home the schoolboy has developed a high fever and symptoms of viral meningitis. Hospital tests later showed he also had rubella and encephalitis.

Snowie Ltd has been fined three times for breaching environmental standards. In October 2000, it pleaded guilty to causing liquid waste to enter a tributary of the Cadger Burn, near Blairingone. The tributary feeds into the Gartmorn Dam, which supplies Alloa\x{2019}s drinking water. The company was fined £1,000. It was also fined £3,000 after admitting it allowed distilling waste from breweries to run into a tributary of the River Teith, in Doune, Perthshire.

In June 2001, Snowie Ltd was fined £5,000 after injecting waste into land at a farm south of Saline, West Fife, in a manner that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency claimed was likely to cause pollution.

SNP environment spokesman, Bruce Crawford, said Snowie\x{2019}s environmental record was open to serious question.