EPA finds emissions from Kildare sites fall within safety limits after numerous complaints 

A report by the State environmental watchdog into numerous complaints of strong odours of creosote from residents of a Kildare village over the past two years found emissions from two local sites were within recommended safety limits.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it had undertaken extensive investigations and monitoring of creosote odours after it had received 215 complaints about the issue from residents of Kill, Co Kildare since May 2024.

Most of the complaints were made by residents of the Hillfort housing estate in Kill who described recurring incidents of a strong chemical smell of creosote.

They are located around three kilometres away from the two sites linked to the origin of the creosote odours by the EPA – a local timber and fencing supplier, Scanpole Ireland, and an adjoining ESB Networks storage yard for poles.

The use of creosote has been heavily restricted in Ireland since April 2023 when a total ban on domestic, agricultural and equine fencing treated with the material was introduced.

Creosote can now only be used legally in the Republic by authorised industrial facilities like Scanpole for use with railway sleepers and electricity and telecommunication poles to protect such equipment from infestation and decay.

The restrictions were introduced following a review of creosote overseen by the European Chemicals Agency due to significant concerns about its potential to cause cancer.

An interim report by the EPA found a greater proportion of confirmed off-site odour events were associated with the ESB site rather than the Scanpole facility.

The EPA said an analysis of diffusion tubes – which measure the concentration of gaseous air pollutants – installed in the area found concentrations of benzene were below the annual air quality standard at all locations including the two sites as well as the Hillfort estate.

It said all other monitored substances were also below their specific thresholds, known as “Environmental Assessment Levels”.

“These findings indicate that, while odours were reported by residents, monitored pollutant concentrations did not exceed applicable environmental or public-health thresholds,” the report stated.

It revealed that the odour, when detected, was most commonly characterised as “persistent and moderate.” The EPA said it had also deployed a network of electronic “noses” to continuously monitor ambient air composition in the area.

It said alert events recorded by the “eNoses” did not correspond with complaints about when odours were occurring.

The EPA said alerts were typically limited to sensors located close to operation activities on the Scanpole site and storage locations of creosote-treated poles in the ESB storage yard.

The agency said an analysis showed there was a higher volume of complaints during warmer months.

However, it said no consistent pattern was identified between complaints and temperature, wind direction or day of the week.

The report said several peaks in the number of complaints were linked to isolated dates rather than recurring conditions.

The EPA said it would continue odour assessments, enforcement activities and ambient monitoring throughout the year.

It claimed its work would include a programme of targeted and unannounced odour assessments under varying meteorological conditions.

The EPA said it had provided details of its assessments to Kildare County Council which is the appropriate regulatory authority for the ESB site.

It said it would also continue to liaise with the HSE on any health concerns raised by residents.