East Cowes resident, Michael Douse, has been fiercely campaigning against the proposed asphalt plant on the River Medina since the application was first submitted.
He believes it represents a serious public health issue and warns that it “won’t go away”.
The County Press ran an article last week (not yet online) based on Mr Douse’s latest objection lodged with the council, over PFI highways contractor, Eurovia‘s proposed asphalt plant at the site of a former landfill facility.
In the article, Eurovia stated that, ‘a detailed site investigation including independent laboratory testing did not find any asbestos at the site’.
Tests: “Absolutely no reference to asbestos”
Mr Douse has written today, challenging their claim and stating that in the applicant’s submission, “there is absolutely no reference to asbestos in either document. This is not because they failed to find any asbestos, but that they weren’t looking for it.”
He goes on to say, “Soil testers and laboratories will only test for the elements which their client have specified and it is clear that Eurovia did not specify asbestos otherwise it would have been listed and shown as zero if their statement was correct.”
More rigorous and scientific investigations needed
Mr Douse goes on to say, “I find it difficult to believe that the applicant, who represents a multi-billion pound international organisation, has submitted such sparse data in support of his application.
“I trust that the IW Council will insist upon many more rigorous and scientific investigations which encompass the entire landfill site to its full depth in order to ascertain the actual contents of the proposed site which has been used as municipal dump since 1913, almost one hundred years ago, during which time all manner of toxic waste, including asbestos, has in all probability been dumped there.”
Image: David McNeary under CC BY 2.0
