What does it take to get Michael Farrugia, the parliamentary secretary responsible for Mepa, and a doctor to boot, to react to the alarming news that the grain supplied by the Kordin Grain Terminal runs the serious risk of being poisoned by cement dust?
In September 2013, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar brought to Mepa’s attention the fact that a cement silo was being built without a permit two metres away from the terminal’s grain conveyor belt, raising concerns on health risks through contamination of grain by cement.
We asked if any enforcement action was being taken.
We were told by Mepa: “As of this afternoon, the silo is still being constructed and is definitely not in operation. There is hence nothing more to add from an enforcement perspective.”
So serious is the risk of the grain being contaminated that the Environmental Health Directorate ordered both the cement silo owners and the grain importers to prepare risk assessments.
The first report by doctors Julian Mamo and John Paul Cauchi, on behalf of Kordin Grain Terminal, had very grave concerns on the serious risk to the public, especially children, of poisoning of the grain by even minute amounts of cement. Their conclusions are that it is not an acceptable risk irrespective of how safe the silo is.
The second, authored by Cali Corleo for UC Ltd, cites the possibility of the grain being subject to contamination from the cement dust “even following the application of best practices”.
FAA submitted a formal complaint to Mepa and three reminders, which included the newer health risk information. All are still unacknowledged.
We also wrote to the parliamentary secretary but, disappointingly, other than supporting Mepa’s enforcement and management’s lack of responsibility and “directing us“ to investigate, we have received neither a satisfactory answer nor direct action.
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