People's Air Quality Monitors will 'finally give us the truth' on toxic gases around Fleetwood landfill site
“We will now start gathering data so we can finally get the truth of the hydrogen sulphide levels.”
Two air quality monitors have been collected to keep track on toxins produced by Fleetwood Jameson Road Landfill site.
Following a fund raising drive by the people of Fleetwood, the first of four monitors are up and running and will provide results of longer overnight monitorising when air toxicity has consistently been reported at its worst.
Speaking to Action Against Jameson Road Landfill group, Sarah Myers, who has a background in academic research said the monitors were highly regarded in the industry for their quality and reliability.
The goal now is to gather enough metric information to support the health impacts reported in Fleetwood.
She said on the group’s Facebook page: “They work alongside an App to provide us with robust, real-time data, easily exportable to report format.
“I recieved industry-grade training from their technician including a robust overview of the national regulator (the Health and Safety Executives') guidance for exposure to hydrogen sulphide.
“The devices will allow trained community specialists to conduct spot-checks, aswell as, importantly, longer monitoring overnight when air toxicity has consistently been reported at its worst.
“A huge thank you to everyone who donated.
“Because of your support we have enough funds left to get some more monitors in the future once we've started with these ones and found our feet.
“We will now start gathering data so we can finally get the truth of the hydrogen sulphide levels. We will keep everyone updated.”
What the toxic gas actually is
The smell widely reported across Fleetwood has been identified as hydrogent suphide (H2S) and is commonly described as a rotten egg smell. People are concerned that it is causing health issues such as headaches, nausea and eye irritation. Authorities have said levels are within safety limits but resisdents strongly dispute that.
What is being done
On May 22, the Environment Agency (EA) announced a change to the licence of the site, which has been operated by Transwaste since 2023. The firm can now only accept waste which does not break down or produce odours. Wyre Council also issued an abatement notice to the company.
The Environment Agency has carried out frequent inspections and monitoring; issued enforcement notices and temporary suspensions in the past. Ongoing mitigation includes capping parts of the landfill - sealing waste to trap gas- installing and or replacing gas extraction wells