Schwarz Pharma to face EPA action over chemical spill

Pharmaceutical plant Schwarz Pharma is to face an enforcement action from the Environmental Protection Agency over a chemical spill that occurred at their Shannon plant several months ago.
However, Dermot Hanrahan, environment and safety manager at Schwarz Pharma, confirmed that the incident has not had any environment, health or safety impact of significance either on or off the site.
According to a recently released EPA audit 50 tonnes of contaminated soil was removed, to a depth of seven metres, as a result of the chemical spill last May.
The company has been issued with a notification by the EPA of non-compliance with its Integrated Pollution Control Licence arising from the chemical spill. The EPA also acknowledged in the report that the contamination “is considered very seriously by the agency”.
Furthermore, the EPA accepted that there was a rapid response from the licensee, once the incident was noted, and that efforts were made to contain the contamination on site.
The agency also acknowledged that “significant improvements” in the compliance record and emission levels have been made by Schwarz Pharma since 2005.
This was reiterated by Mr Hanrahan who said that since then the company has had an excellent environmental performance record.
“Since that time the company has invested in excess of €40million in environmental related infrastructure and the improvements in performances and the investments made had been acknowledged by the EPA,” he explained.
Shannon Councillor Gerry Flynn, who has campaigned for the EPA to set up year round air monitoring in Shannon, said that companies should be held accountable.
“We don’t want any dirty business in our back gardens. We want companies to comply with the letter of the law in relation to the conditions of their licences.
“The EPA, as the environmental watchdog, should be more proactive in Shannon because we have such a large industrialised base that needs constant monitoring.
“I will be keeping the pressure on the EPA to oversee that and to may sure our community is protected,” he said.