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Hanson Cement Report from the Nuisance Subgroup

Dr. Judy Hart's report covers complaints related to noise, dust, and odour near the cement works from 2000-2010. It includes impacts, attribution of complaints, boundary noise monitoring, noise reduction measures, dust analysis, and odour investigations.

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Hanson Cement Report from the Nuisance Subgroup

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  1. Hanson Cement Report from the Nuisance Subgroup Dr Judy HartConsultant in Communicable Disease ControlNorth Wales Health Protection Team 6 December 2011

  2. The report includes: • An overview of complaints 2000-2010 • Noise • Coarse dust • Odour • Conclusions Dr Judy Hart

  3. Complaints by type and year Types of complaint Numbers by year

  4. MSOA map showing distribution of complaints 2000-2010 (May) Most complaints come from residents living closest to the cement works – in Penyffordd, Penymynydd and Padeswood 47% of complaints came from a small number of people who complain more than x3 and up to x50 in any year

  5. Attribution of complaints • 2009 – 235/315 (75%) attributable to Hanson 194 (62%) received on one day when there was a fugitive dust emission • 2008 – 61/168 (36%) attributable to Hanson

  6. Boundary noise monitoring locations 1. Spon Green, Buckley 2. Ty Gwyn, WTW access road 3C.Dyke Farm 4. Toll Bar Cottage 5. Play area at FforddDerwyn 6. Hawarden Road, Pennyffordd 7A. Padeswood, sports field B. Oak Tree Farm West D. Oak Tree Farm E. Rhyd Cottage – Penyffordd Station car park Boundary noise criteria set by permit Daytime 50dB Night time 45dB

  7. Boundary noise report summaries • Daytime noise level data is generally affected by other predominant noise eg. road traffic noise, trains and other short duration noise incidents. These noises mask any audible noise emissions from the works. • Night time monitoring is more sensitive, there are variations in noise levels, probably due to the effects of short duration events close to the noise meter during the quieter night time period, such as passing road traffic, dogs barking etc. Noise from the works is sometimes audible, but is difficult to differentiate on the monitor, and does not usually exceed boundary criteria

  8. Continuous noise monitoring – night timeComparison with complaints, site activity and weather conditions • Dyke Farm – exceeded night time criteria of 45dB. Low frequency component. No correlation between complaints and wind direction. Unable to pinpoint which plant operation responsible • Rhyd Cottage – complained of a droning noise. Generally did not exceed night time criteria. Complaints received when levels below 45dB, and comparison with plant operations inconclusive • Oak Tree Farm West – exceeds night time criteria on occasions. Intermittent spikes thought to be related to limestone intake, although no complaints received during monitoring period

  9. Noise – site improvements • Fitting of louvres to kiln cooler fans • Cladding to fan buildings and gantrys • Fitting silencers to bag filter fans • Internalisation of filter exhaust fans • Installation of acoustic shields • Keeping doors closed – plus signage

  10. Dust • Analysis of rainfall dust gauge and frisbee dust gauge results • Chemical analysis of dust • The yearly average rate of deposited dust varied between 24 - 895mg/m2/day • No correlation between calcium content (which is a key indicator of cement dust) and the higher rates of monthly deposited dust • Insufficient evidence to link dust deposition with Hanson Cement

  11. Guideline level for nuisance dust

  12. Attributable dust • Since January 2008 Hanson Cement has employed an external laboratory to test dust samples arising from complaints • 10% of samples contained limestone, sand or clinker, and maybe linked to the cement works and a further 12% had a minor component that could possibly be associated

  13. Dust – site improvements • Washing and covering vehicles • Sheeting and building repair • Increased CCTV monitoring of site • Landscaping • Improved housekeeping • Wet sweeper lorries • Planned preventative maintenance system

  14. Odour • Over the 10 year period of complaint analysis the highest number of complaints was 58 in 2008 • As a percentage of all complaints odour varied from 4-33% • Difficult to investigate • External consultant for Hanson investigated odour concentrations and Hedonic tone from Kiln 4 stack gases • Modelling suggested ground level concentrations at or above the just detected level on a few occasions in a year

  15. Conclusions • Environmental nuisance complaints indicate that there is an impact on the community, although sources other than Hanson Cement may also play a part • The effects of environmental nuisance are likely to be annoyance-related, impacting upon broader wellbeing and quality of life, and unlikely to have affected physical health • Falling numbers of environmental nuisance complaints indicate that community concerns are lower now than they were, but it is not possible to conclude whether this trend is associated with the ongoing implementation of an improvement programme to reduce noise, odour and dust emissions beyond the site boundary.

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