BE demands that Corticeira Amorim comply with the law in terms of air quality and noise

Party met with the association in formation “Vizinhos da Fábrica”

The Left Block requires Corticeira Amorim Cork Insulation (ACI) to make the necessary investments in its Silves factory to comply with national and European legislation in terms of air quality and noise.

The theme it's not recent and gave rise to the creation of the association, still in formation, “Vizinhos da Fábrica”, which met with the party, represented by MEP José Gusmão and by district leaders João Vasconcelos and Sandra da Costa.

In a note, BE mentions that the situation has worsened in the municipality of Silves, in the area surrounding Corticeira, but that it is already being felt in the municipality of Lagoa, where pollution is also notorious, and that, according to reports from residents and bystanders, , white and black fumes are visible from kilometers away.

Thus, the BE Parliamentary Group, through former deputy João Vasconcelos, presented in October 2020 some questions to the then Minister of the Environment and Climate Action, on air quality, with consequences for the health and quality of life of neighbors. from factory.

“The responses received minimized the problem, referring to the smoke as pure vapor and ensuring that there was no cause for concern”, says the BE. However, after five meetings in the last year, the large clouds of smoke and the continuous high levels of noise emitted by the Corticeira Amorim factory continue.

 

 

"Tests have confirmed that white smoke contains a significant amount of Suberin, inherent in the production process, and that black smoke contains high levels of Fine Particulates (PM10)", reads the note sent.

The “Factory neighbors” have been developing initiatives, in an attempt to resolve the situation together with local bodies, namely City Council and CCDR Algarve, however «the solution to the issues presented and widely known by those involved seems to be far from known. ».

“Solutions are available, but there is no urgency to implement them. The main problem is ICA's attitude and mentality which harms the health and livelihoods of the neighboring population. When visiting the exterior of Corticeira, you can observe the different types of dust existing in the surrounding space, arranged in piles that, when dragged by the wind, spread around the surroundings, affecting those who live, circulate and work in the area. The Bloc's delegation also heard complaints about noise levels that continually exceed legal limits, adding noise pollution to air pollution", says that party.

After the meeting and the visit, MEP José Gusmão spoke about the importance of integrating environmental policy, public health and economic policy: “The diversification of economic activity, including industrial activity, is important and must be promoted. It must not, however, be promoted in an illegal way, which is deeply harmful to the quality of life and health of residents and harmful to other economic activities, such as agriculture or tourist activities”.

For the MEP from the Bloc, «there is no justification for the investments already identified and indispensable to comply with the law not having been carried out. The factory, according to its own documents, has generated more than enough profits to meet this need.'

 



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