Polystyrene Home Insulation pollution in Ireland (& around the world) , July 2011
Channel: IrishEcoSense
Date: 2011-07-11

In Ireland, there is a sizable government grant for Insulating your home. The SEAI (sustainable energy Ireland- www.seai.ie ) are responsible for regulating this .I have contacted SEAI and the Department of Natural resources about this issue, and i will post updates on their actions.

Polystyrene based insulation is the cheapest type of home insulation available, and due to lax regulation (the only kind of regulation in Ireland), there are millions of small pieces of Polysyrene entering Irish waters alone every day.  This could be easily stopped by ensuring contractors properly enclose the work area. This is a global problem.

Today, July 2011, many homeowners are availing of Irish government grants to insulate their homes, thus reducing energy consumption and contributing towards meeting Ireland's carbon emission-reduction commitments.Most home insulation in Ireland is being done using Polystyrene insulation as it is the cheapest type available and understandably people want to spend as little money as possible- usually the government grant covers most if not ALL of the insulation cost when polystyrene is used. Insulation is a fantastic idea, as it reduces consumption of fossil fuels, and these grants are also getting people back to work. Unfortunately though, the Irish government (and many governments around the world) don't regulate the run off from the cutting of Polystyrene blocks to fit the houses. Thousands of small innocent-looking pieces of polystyrene break off into the environment when the large Polystyrene blocks have to be shaped and cut with saws, and as you can see in this video. the polystyrene goes everywhere in the vicinity, even on days with very little wind. The Polystyrene travels easily through gutters and storm drains (or stays in local soils for hundreds of years or eaten by local bird life). It gets into our waterways, eventually reaching rivers and oceans, breaking down into small non biodegradable pieces that are ingested by marine life- Ingesting polystyrene prevents the absorption of nutrients into animals' bodies and can result in starvation and death. This is the government's responsibility.

The biggest environmental health concern associated with polystyrene is the danger associated with THE TOXIC SUBSTANCE Styrene, the basic building block of polystyrene and benzene. These are known carcinogens and neurotoxins that are hazardous to animals and humans-  through contact, inhalation, and exposure in the food chain. Polystyrene poses a threat to the well-being of birds and marine life that confuse polystyrene for food.

We ALL have a responsibility to our environment, and our food chain, to minimise the environmental impact of our ECONOMIC activities.  The solution to this particular problem is quite simple. The SEAI, (SUSTAINABLE ENERGY IRELAND) under the department of natural resources in Ireland, regulate insulation contractors. We are currently working on getting them to direct contractors UNDER THEIR CODE OF CONDUCT to ensure that the work area is completely enclosed AND in contact with the wall they are working on with inexpensive mesh to ensure that the maximum amount of the debris is caught, VACUUMED UP, And disposed of properly. Alternatively, contractors can use hot cutting knives while wearing a mask to prevent any debris whatsoever. IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE AND ALL WE NEED IS RECOGNITION OF THIS ISSUE!

It is ALSO important that legislation is enacted SOON, because soon this Grant system will end in Ireland, and this means that the SEAI will no longer have direct influence over Contractors. Large FINANCIAL penalties need to put in place for non-compliance. We would ask the Eu to issue a Europe wide GENERAL directive of a similar nature also. This would reflect the fact that many cities and countries around the world have already banned the use of polystyrene.

And we would call on the public to be vigilant and speak to contractors before they start work in your area, and ask them to completely enclose the cutting area to catch as much of this environmentally harmful substance as possible,and keep neighbour's gardens ( like the one in this video) tidy!. This Polystyrene issue may seem like a small problem, but with hundreds of thousands of homes in Ireland, Europe and around the world insulating at the cheapest price possible, this problem is huge and needs to be addressed.

WE all NEED TO SPEAK UP TO MAINTAIN OUR CLEAN OCEANS, MARINE LIFE, FISHERIES, AND OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL health, for now and for generations to come.