WESTBURY'S cement factory La Farge has received a written warning from the Environment Agency.
The factory has been leaking dioxins, a product of combustion, into the atmosphere from the cement kilns.
The Environment Agency has given Lafarge a written warning after the agency recorded a dioxin result above the permitted level.
The sample was one of a series of measurements taken at the end of February.
All the other results for substances emitted from the works from the two kilns were very low and well within the permitted levels.
The permitted level of dioxins and furans is 0.10 nano-grammes per cubic metre (ng/m3) and the sample showed 0.17 ng/m3.
Dioxins
and furans are typically released into the atmosphere from
combustion and other thermal processes and the limit
applied at the Westbury works is an extremely precautionary
level to ensure a very high standard of health protection.
Andy Gardiner for the Environment Agency, said:"We have
thoroughly investigated this unusual result, which is the
first one over the permitted limit during seven years of
similar measurements, which has provided 33 compliant
results.
"No evidence has been found that the plant or process
conditions were unsatisfactory.
"We fully understand that the public may have concerns over
this result and we have made the information and
investigation report available on the public register so
people can find out more."
Follow up monitoring taken soon after the February result
found dioxin releases well within the permit limit. If the
additional monitoring does indicate further concerns the
agency can take appropriate action using its powers of
enforcement.
The public registers can be viewed in Westbury Town
Library, West Wiltshire District Council's Trowbridge
office and the Environment Agency's offices in Bridgwater.
Rather
than withdraw this article it is this web-sites position to
show how an incident can cause concern without the full
facts being known. In this case the Environment Agency's
own Monitoring Operator was in error during the extractive
procedure and therefore cast doubt on the monitored
results. This means everything said about the high dioxin
readings has been brought into disrepute and therefore have
to be seen as erroneous.