Incinerator Bottom
Ash | | Residents of Gerrards Cross protest |
Local
residents in Gerrards Cross are not naturally inclined to take to the streets
in protest, but one unpopular neighbour has motivated them to do just that. Their
neighbour is none other than Britain's biggest retailer - Tesco. For 17
years they have been trying to move into the area by building a new store, but
this is no ordinary supermarket - it was to be a groundbreaking construction built
on a specially designed tunnel over a railway line. However it is not mere
"nimbyism" which motivates them - rather a strong suspicion that one
of the building materials used to construct the store's foundations - what is
known as Incinerator Bottom Ash - is toxic and is exposing them to health risks. The
material is known as Incinerator Bottom Ash or IBA. It's what's left on the incinerator
floor after municipal waste is burnt. After some processing - it's been quite
widely used in road building where it is sealed under a cover of asphalt. Tesco
planned to use incinerator ash as a filler material around and above the tunnel
it was building - and the Environment Agency approved its use. Tunnel collapse
 | | Tunnel collapse exposed residents to health threats? |
When a huge section of the tunnel collapsed in June 2005 - bringing
down not only hundreds of tonnes of rubble and concrete but also the incinerator
ash - a massive clear up job was needed.
27,000 tonnes of building
materials including Incinerator Ash was shipped out and dumped in a farmer's field
in an area of outstanding natural beauty in the Chilterns. It was only yards
from the home of Ruth Marshall and her two young children. Ruth became
concerned about the vast "Pyrennian" mountain of ash when her children
appeared to suffer breathing problems.
Unbeknown to Ruth, the local council
had conducted an analysis which found levels of heavy metals and dioxins which
exceeded guidelines established for commercial or industrial land - even more
startling in a rural location. Shocking resultsWhen we revealed
to her the results she was unsurprisingly shocked and concerned. In fact
the local authority recommended that the material could only stay on site if it
was dampened to prevent dust blowing and also covered. It ordered the spoil's
removal from Coleshill at the end of last year. Thousands of
tonnes of the material remain however at the Gerrards Cross site. Greenpeace have
tested some of the material from the site and their test results show high levels
of lead and dioxins.
Scientist Dr Paul Johnston believes that "some
of the other chemicals (in the material tested) that are present are known carcinogens".
He also said "the levels of lead that are present in this material would
certainly give me cause for concern"  | | Is Incinerator Bottom Ash a health risk to residents? |
Environmental expert Alan Watson has also expressed his concern.
He
says the material on site shouldn't be left like this - fine dust exposed to the
elements and free to blow around聟 places where children would come into contact
with it. Michael Kissman from Tesco says "the material
is inert and safe and it has been signed off be the relevant authorities including
the Environment Agency". Despite the concerns of experts Tesco insist
the material has been tested by the relevant bodies and it is safe. A number
of residents however have been concerned about the dust containing IBA that they
were exposed to from the site. Local shopkeeper Kalpana West said "The dust
was settling literally everywhere. Strict proceedures
Tesco says "we have strict procedures in place we have strict procedures
in place for when we work the material in case of the creation of dust such as
damping down the site, which will be adhered to when we work the material. "At
the moment the material is being left, it's in a safe state it's in a constant
safe state with a hardened crust and poses no risk to the local environment". Incinerator
Bottom Ash requires a licence from the Environment Agency before it can be used
in construction which Tesco received. However, in this case it was never
envisaged that the material would be exposed to the elements for such a long time.
As the Health and Safety Executive are continuing their investigations
into the causes of the collapse all work has ceased on site therefore a quantity
of Incinerator Ash mixed with other material also remains on site. Worryingly
the Environment Agency claim they have no jurisdiction over the incinerator ash
once it has been incorporated in other building aggregate - officially it ceases
to be defined as incinerator waste. Thus it has remained in a place open
to the elements - free to blow across the town - apparently unregulated and unchecked
by the Environment Agency. Residents feel that the buck for this material
is passed to and fro. Meanwhile the bewildered resident of Gerrards Cross
are left facing another summer of dust and growing fears that their green and
pleasant corner of England is being contaminated. | 
听听Coming
Up : Inside Out - London: Friday February 23, 2007
