No danger of radioactivity from residual material
Mizzi stands his ground
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has denied that there is any danger of radioactivity from residual material which oil companies were to bring to Malta for Medserv.
Labour environment spokesman Joe Mizzi said on Saturday that the material was radioactive and contained dangerous heavy metal.
But the authority said the radioactivity mentioned in the reports about this project was natural radioactivity of the sort found on the earth's surface at very low levels which did not pose a threat to people or the environment.
The authority said the material would consist of rock cuttings brought to the surface during oil well drilling. They would be initially processed and certified safe on the rigs before being brought to Malta. Once in Malta, the material would be mixed with cement and used for road building, thus reducing demand for quarry material.
The authority denied it had not carried out proper studies before issuing the permit to Medserv.
The permit had been issued on condition that the material was cleaned of all lubricant before being landed in Malta, that it did not contain traces of radioactivity, that it would be carried and stored according to established procedures and proper precautions and that the material would all be used for its designated purpose and it would not be dumped.
However, Mr Mizzi yesterday stood his ground, claiming MEPA was not telling the truth.
He questioned why the authority wanted the material to be scanned for radioactivity before being shipped to Malta, when it had just said that the radioactivity would not pose a threat.
The people, particularly those living in Birzebbuga, would be exposed to risk, he claimed.
He also questioned the stated purpose of the material: mixing it with concrete to build roads.
According to the developer, he said, the plant would produce 50 cubic metres a week. But how many roads could possibly be built at this rate, he asked. The real purpose of the project, he claimed, was to serve oil companies by accepting their waste at the Freeport.
The material was to be used in blocks in order to reduce the "serious and dangerous risk" posed by the material.
To back up this claim Mr Mizzi quoted Prof. Alfred Vella, writing on behalf of the authority, saying that the quantities of zinc, chromium and lead were not sufficiently large to cause the product to pose significant environmental risk "when in use for the indicated purposes".
He also referred to the permit condition laying down that tests must be carried out on every 400 tons processed at the Freeport, and to the fact that the imported skips will be 70 per cent full, in order to reduce the risk of spillage at sea when the release of pollutants would be at their worst.
However, this paragraph from the PA file quoted by Mr Mizzi also says that "given the fact of the small concentrations of heavy metals and oils and the small quantities of material being transported by every supply vessel, the environmental impact from such an accident would be negligible".
Mr Mizzi also said it was not true that environmental impact studies or consultation with the relevant entities had been carried out.