Cancer fears over plants

Grangemouth says it has a clean track record

A leading scientist has reportedly called for an investigation into waste gases from an oil refinery and a power plant, claiming they could be responsible for cancer, heart attacks and strokes among local people.

Dr Dick van Steenis wants an official inquiry into the BP Amoco refinery at Grangemouth near Falkirk and the Kilroot power station in Northern Ireland, according to the Scottish News of the World.

Following his own investigations, he believes the effect of pollution from the two plants could be "devastating" within a 44-mile radius, said the paper.

Spokesmen for the plants said they have a clean track record when it comes to pollution and comply with legislation on emissions.

Lifestyle

Dr van Steenis, who has advised the House of Lords select committee on pollution, said: "If you look at a map of the patterns followed by plumes from these places it becomes abundantly clear that there's a problem.

"The two plants could be responsible for the bulk of cancer cases in the areas they pollute."

He said poor diet and lifestyle was not enough to explain the high incidence of cancers, heart attacks and strokes in Scotland.

He is now calling for the Scottish Executive to launch an immediate inquiry into his findings.

A spokesman for BP Grangemouth said a 10-year air monitoring programme had found nothing dangerous, adding that the plumes reaching up into the sky at the plant were "just water vapour".

Incidents

Shane Lynch, plant manager at Applied Electricity Services, which runs the Kilroot plant, said: "For environmental emissions from the plant, we have to comply with legislative limits."

He added: "The plant operates well within these limits and our performance record is readily available in the public domain."

Spokesman for Scottish Environment Minister Ross Finnie it would be very interested to see the doctor's findings.

The safety of BP Grangemouth was questioned last year after seven serious incidents at the refinery in 15 months, two of them involving full shut-downs.

In December BP announced that £80m would be invested in the refinery in 2001.