An oral hearing by the EPA into a licence application by Irish Cement to burn alternative fuels at its plant at Mungret in Limerick has heard from the Limerick Against pollution group.
LAP has campaigned against the application because of concerns about potential damage to human health and the environment.
On the second day of the hearing, Prof Angus Mitchell, who is a historian by profession but who specialises in environmental and commodity history, said the group had very genuine concerns about this licence application.
They have been active in sending letters to local media advocating for alternative ways to deal with waste while at the same time dealing with the circular economy and the potential concerns about damage to the city's reputation.
This has also been done in the context of the ongoing global climate emergency, he said.
He told the hearing about a number of incidents of dust emissions from the Irish Cement factory going back over recent years, in 2006, 2015 and 2017, in which hundreds of cars in the Mungret, Raheen and Dooradoyle areas were 'blanketed in dust' sparking health fears in the locality, and complaints from residents.
The Irish cement company pleaded guilty and was fined in the district court on a number of occasions for non-compliance with the conditions of its licence.
Prof Mitchell said what Limerick was undergoing because of this was a gradual process of environmental degradation, and the consequent gradual degradation of the wellbeing of the individual and the community.
He also criticised the EPA for its reliance on the self-monitoring of Irish Cement and its parent CRH, which he said is simply not effective.
And he criticised the HSE which he said had 'stonewalled' the health concerns of the LAP group.
