BACKGROUND

Questionnaires were distributed to households in Northwood, Kirkby, asking residents to answer a variety of questions about health complaints appearing or worsening since the arrival of the Sonae chipboard factory in 1999. They were also asked to say whether they were aware of dust, residues, and odours, and, if so, whether they considered these to be a nuisance. Space was given for any additional comments or observations.
Many responses confirmed what is already easily observable by any visitor to Northwood: that there are fugitive emissions from the factory, some containing black/brown smoke, and some blue haze. (Formaldehyde, a by-product of the chipboard manufacturing process, is characterized by the appearance of blue haze, and is known to cause respiratory diseases, asthma, nose, lung, and throat cancer, birth defects, and allergic reactions).
Many respondents noted that emissions are worse at weekends and on public holidays. Sonae's monitoring process, always undertaken with prior notice, and by consultants paid for by Sonae, does not take account of these fugitive emissions, and the factory's management has consistently denied that they occur. Many people have made complaints to Sonae and the Department of Environmental Health, which were noted, but action was rarely taken. One complainant was told by Sonae that no one else had ever reported a problem with the factory. A witnessed record has been kept by one respondent of fugitive emissions since October 2000 and is contained in the report.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

• 81% of responding households report dust and residues on windows, cars, and around houses. 100% of people reporting this consider it to be a nuisance.
• 88.7% of responding households are aware of unpleasant odours from the factory. The smell of burning wood causes immediate irritation to people's eyes, nose, throat, and chest. Although perceived to be a constant problem, many note that irritation is worse when the smoke coming from the factory is black/brown in colour, or when there is a blue haze.
• People report the perception of a general worsening of health related to the arrival of the Sonae factory, particularly relating to, though by no means confined to, respiratory diseases, chest, nose, and throat irritation, asthma, and skin disorders. 44.2% of responding households report that at least one member of the household has begun to suffer from a dry cough in the last 18 months. 41.8% report the appearance of nose and throat congestion; 39.9% report the appearance of eye irritations; 40.7% report the appearance of a sore throat.
• Visitors to Kirkby - eg children, grandchildren - report the appearance of the above symptoms when they come to Kirkby, which then disappear when they leave. Residents report that their own long-term symptoms disappear when they leave Kirkby, and reappear when they return.
• 86.9% of responding households consider the Sonae factory to be visually offensive. 96% of responding households which report being aware of unpleasant odours consider this to be a nuisance. The irritation which the smoke causes prevents people from opening the windows in their houses, and from sitting out in the garden. Several report difficulties in selling their houses.
• Strong feelings were expressed that the factory had been built so close to a residential area, and many felt that this should never have been allowed. Many expressed fears for the health of their children and the future health of all who live in this area. In the words of one mother, "This factory should never have been allowed in Kirkby. We already have the highest rate of cancer. Our children must be allowed to grow up healthy. With this factory this can only be a dream."

AIMS

• Represent local residents' concerns about the perceived effects of the factory on their health.
• Record a trend of appearing and worsening health symptoms particularly associated with respiratory diseases, eye, nose, and throat irritation, and skin disorders.
• Draw attention to the connection between many of these symptoms and exposure to environmental toxins such as formaldehyde.
• Document the nuisance effect of noise, dust, and smell coming from the factory on local people's quality of life.
• Document the appearance of fugitive emissions, from both the main and the (untreated and unmonitored) dump stacks of the Sonae factory, note that these are characterized by black/brown smoke, and blue haze, and observe that these emissions are often worse at weekends and public holidays.

CONCLUSIONS

1. Formaldehyde can cause serious and terminal illness. It is simply not acceptable to operate a "wait and see" policy with regard to public health, or to take refuge in the reassurance of inadequate results from flawed methods of emissions testing.
2. It is a cause for serious and immediate concern that people living in Northwood and surrounding areas have symptoms associated with exposure to formaldehyde and that they report that many of these have appeared or worsened since the Sonae factory began operating.
3. The fact that people report that symptoms worsen with the appearance of black/brown smoke and blue haze from the factory is worrying and further investigation into the reasons for this is required.
4. The fact that some people's symptoms appear or worsen when they come into Northwood and improve or disappear when they leave suggests a local problem and further investigation into the nature of the problem is needed.
5. Monitoring which takes place only by prior arrangement, and which does not include the dump stack, is clearly inadequate.
6. It is a matter for serious concern that fugitive emissions are not being reported and that there are so many of them. Sonae's repeated cancellation of odour emissions testing by the Department of Environmental Health also highlights the Department's over-reliance on Sonae's cooperation for monitoring when a far tougher regulatory stance is required.
7. Sonae's unwillingness to report health and safety issues within the factory to the HSE is intolerable.
8. The lack of communication between the Sonae factory and local residents, including Sonae's refusal to attend public meetings, is disgraceful.
9. Knowsley residents deserve the best possible chance of good health, and Sonae and the Department of Environmental Health must actively endeavour to enable this, rather than hiding behind inadequate monitoring procedures. Sonae must therefore be encouraged to operate with Best Available Technology Not Entailing Excessive Cost (BATNEEC), and not with Cheapest Available Technology Not Incurring Prosecution (CATNIP).

A full copy of the KATS report can be obtained from Revd Dr James and Revd Dr Joanne Grenfell, St Mark's Vicarage, Deycroft Avenue, Northwood, Kirkby, L33 9TE.

"KATS is concerned for the present and future health of local residents and factory employees and will continue to draw attention to unsafe practices in and around the Sonae factory until safety is improved, proper independent monitoring shows a real and sustained improvement in air quality, and issues of noise and smell are resolved."