THE Scottish Greens have called for a “wider investigation” into e-waste fires after the incident at Linwood Industrial Estate in Paisley last week.
It comes after an academic told the Sunday National that the pollutants that were likely released by the blaze are "hazardous and potentially damaging to human health".
At the height of the incident, 10 fire appliances were tackling the fire just south of Glasgow as local residents were urged to remain indoors with windows and doors shut.
Waste solutions company Enva later said the fire broke out at its Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Solutions e-waste facility and that the incident has been contained.
It came just weeks after a separate explosion and fire at a recycling depot in the Friarton area of Perth, which tragically led to the death of a 41-year-old man.
Mark Ruskell, the Scottish Greens’ environment spokesperson (below), said the fact these kinds of incidents are happening increasingly leaves “some pretty big questions” and that it needs to be “thoroughly investigated”.
“I drove past Frierton on that day and I've never seen a more dramatic environmental pollution event in my life. Huge black clouds – you could absolutely smell it and it caught the back of your throat,” Ruskell told the Sunday National.
“I wasn't even in the way of the main plume of smoke. And the advice from SEPA at the time was, well, best stay indoors and just lock your windows – which I find incredible.”
He added: “Perhaps that was, in fact, the best advice. But it does suggest to me that the immediate health impact of these kinds of events could be quite severe.”
Last Tuesday afternoon, Neil Bibby – Scottish Labour MSP for West Scotland – lodged a topical question in Holyrood asking the Scottish Government for its response to “the reported public safety and environmental concerns” arising from the fire.
Scottish Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhian Brown (below), urged residents who have found debris from the fire on their property to reach out to their local authority.
She also said that there is “no ongoing risk to public safety”.
But the Sunday National also spoke with Ian Williams, a professor at the University of Southampton who is internationally recognised for research in the fields of environmental science and waste management.
He told the newspaper that many of the pollutants likely to have been released by the Linwood fire are “hazardous and potentially damaging to human health and the environment”.
He added: “There is clearly mounting evidence about the public health impacts of e-waste, including exposure to chemicals generated during e-waste fires.
“I would be concerned about the potential health and environmental impacts of the pollutants released by the fire.”
The academic did have an “important caveat”, however.
“Obviously I wasn't anywhere near the fire when it happened but I have viewed a few videos,” he said.
“It looks as if the atmospheric conditions initially lead to upward dispersion of the smoke, taking it away from populations.
“Nevertheless, the coarse particles containing hazardous substances would have to fall to earth at some point - the impacts and likely public exposure will depend on where they landed. For example, in a built-up urban area, in a lowly populated rural area or into the sea.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO), meanwhile, takes a similar view when it comes to human exposure to e-waste.
A WHO fact sheet warns that burning or heating e-waste is “one of the most hazardous activities due to the toxic fumes created”.
“Once in the environment, toxic pollutants from e-waste or produced through unsound recycling activities can travel significant distances from the point of pollution, exposing people in faraway areas to health-damaging substances," the organisation writes.
It also highlights that children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable, with high exposure potential leading to adverse neonatal outcomes including increased rates of stillbirth and premature birth.
Ruskell, meanwhile, said that there's probably a need for Environmental Standards Scotland to look at “whether the current regulations Scotland has are adequate”.
“This is obviously an accident, and these things happen. But how we reduce the risk of it happening in the first place is absolutely critical. I think it does raise wider questions about producer responsibility.
“All this electrical waste, in particular battery waste, is ending up effectively dumped in these depositories where standards are not high and where they can intermingle which can lead to these fire incidents.”
He added: “[These fire incidents] are a very visible demonstration of the problem that we have. We have far too much of this stuff and at some point down the line it becomes hazardous - whether it's in the home or whether it's in the treatment centre – unless it's properly treated.”
The Sunday National has approached SEPA, Enva and the Scottish Government for comment.
