Health - Thurles Information

Warning: Boiled Water Notice For Thurles & Surrounding Areas.

Following consultation with the Health Service Executive, Uisce Éireann and Tipperary County Council have issued a Boil Water Notice for the area supplied by the Thurles Regional Public Supply to protect public health. The issue is not related to the current industrial action.

**Map Showing Affected Areas Above In Blue**.

The population impacted by this notice is approximately 11,398 people. This notice is being issued due to disinfection issues in the network. The areas affected include customers in Holycross, Thurles, Ballycahill, Bouladuff, Dovea, Borrisoleigh and Drom and surrounding areas.

Experts from Uisce Éireann and Tipperary County Council are assessing the situation with a view to having the notice lifted as quickly and safely as possible. In the meantime, all customers of this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.

Mr Jim Fitzgerald, Uisce Éireann, has acknowledged the impact this notice will have on the community and apologised for the inconvenience to customers: “We are working closely with Tipperary County Council to restore drinking water quality for all impacted customers. We will monitor the supply over the coming days and will seek to lift the notice in consultation with the HSE as quickly as it is safe to do so.”

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann will be contacted directly about this notice. Anyone who has concerns can contact our customer care team on 1800 278 278 or log onto the water supply and service section of water.ie for information.

Water must be boiled for:

Drinking;
Drinks made with water;
Preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked prior to eating;
Brushing of teeth;
Making of ice – discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges. Make ice from cooled boiled water.

What actions should be taken:

Use water prepared for drinking (e.g.bottled water), when preparing foods that will not be cooked (e.g. washing salads);
Water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets, but not for brushing teeth or gargling;
Boil water by bringing to a vigorous, rolling boil (e.g. with an automatic kettle) and allow to cool. Cover and store in a refrigerator or cold place. Water from the hot tap is not safe to drink. Domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink;
Caution should be taken when bathing children to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water;
Preparing Infant Formula: Where a Boil Water Notice is in place, you can prepare infant formula from tap water that has been boiled once (rolling boil for 1 minute) and cooled beforehand. Bottled water can also be used to make up infant formula. All bottled water, with the exception of natural mineral water, is regulated to the same standard as drinking water. It is best not to use bottled water labelled as ‘Natural Mineral Water’ as it can have high levels of sodium (salt) and other minerals, although it rarely does. ‘Natural Mineral Water’ can be used if no other water is available, for as short a time as possible, as it is important to keep babies hydrated. If bottled water is used to make up infant formula it should be boiled once (rolling boil for 1 minute), and cooled in the normal way. Ready-to-use formula that does not need added water can also be used.
Great care should be taken with boiled water to avoid burns and scalds as accidents can easily happen, especially with children.

Updates will be available on our Water Supply Updates section on water.ie including a map of the affected area, on Twitter @IWCare and via our customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278. Customers are advised to set their location on water.ie to view updates specific to their water supply. Further information in relation to the boil water notice is available on our Boil Water Notice page.

For customers who wish to check if their property is on the Boil Water Notice themselves, please go to our Water Quality section and enter the property’s Eircode and then click the ‘More Details’ tab. You will then see if your property is on the Boil Water Notice.

One Year Prison Sentence For Tipperary Farmer, Following Employee Fatality.

A Tipperary farmer has been given a 12-month prison sentence following a workplace fatality, which happened on his farm at Coleman, Fethard, Co. Tipperary, back on June 26th, 2016.

On that date, a Telehandler; [same machine widely used both in agriculture and industry], then being used to carry out work on the farm, went out of control before overturning, resulting in one farm employee losing his life and another employee suffering serious injuries.

The owner of the farm had pleaded guilty to charges of being in breach of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007.

At Clonmel Circuit Court, South Tipperary on Thursday last, July 6th, the farmer was sentenced to 12 months in prison, for failing to manage and conduct work activities in such a way as to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the safety health and welfare of his employees at work.

The Health & Safety Authority confirmed that the Telehandler was found to be in a dangerous condition, unsafe and unfit for use, with brakes, accelerator cable, transmission selector, cab door and seat belt not properly maintained.

They add that it is essential that all employers make sure that operator training is provided to all workers and that risk assessments are carried out in advance of the work activities commencing.

Named Smoke Flavourings, No Longer Permitted In Food.

SF-007 & SF-010 No Longer Permitted In Food.

Smoking is traditionally used to help preserve certain foods such as fish, meat and dairy products and the smoking process also changes the flavour of foods. Smoke flavourings are produced by thermal degradation of wood and can be added to a range of different foods to give a “smoked” flavour.

All smoke flavourings need to be authorised for use before they can be placed on the EU market. There are currently 10 smoke flavourings authorised for use in the EU. These authorisations will expire on January 1st 2024. Renewal applications must have been submitted 18 months before the authorisation expires, i.e., June 2022.

Two smoke flavourings, SF-007 (Tradismoke™ A MAX) and SF-010 (AM 01) have not applied to renew their authorisation and as a result, will no longer be authorised for use in the EU,with effect from January 1st 2024.

[The authorisation holders for SF-007 (Tradismoke™ A MAX) and SF-010 (AM 01) is Nactis in France and AROMARCO, s.r.o, in Slovakia, respectively].

According to the provisions of Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) 2065/2003 no products containing SF-007 or SF-010 should be placed on the market* after the December 31st 2023. Products still under processing or raw materials provided by suppliers containing these two SF are also not permitted for use in the EU from January1st 2024.

Foods containing SF-007 or SF-010 that were placed on the market* prior to 1 January 2024 may remain on the market until their date of minimum durability or ‘use by’ date.

* “Placing on the market” includes all sales and supplies, including one-off sales, one-off supplies free of charge, and holding food for the purpose of sale. It covers food products which have already been produced by food business operators or imported and are being held with a view to sale or supply free of charge.

Half Of Septic Tanks Fail Inspection In 2022 With 20% A Risk To Human Health.

Half of septic tanks failed inspection in 2022 with 20% identified as a risk to human health and the environment.

Enforcement by local authorities of failed septic tanks is inconsistent, with the lowest rates of Septic Tank failures fixed being in Tipperary, Roscommon, Waterford and Leitrim.

Over 1,100 septic tank inspections were completed by local authorities in 2022. Inspections by Clare, Waterford and Offaly Councils last year were well below their requirements.

Domestic waste water treatment systems (DWWTS), mostly septic tanks, are used by householders to treat sewage. There are nearly half a million systems in Ireland.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released the report on Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems Inspections in 2022. The EPA examined the 1,143 inspections of domestic waste water treatment systems completed by local authorities in 2022. Some 49% (560) of the treatment systems failed inspection because they were not built or maintained properly. Some 20% or (230) of treatment systems inspected were considered a risk to human health or the environment, because faulty systems can contaminate household drinking water wells and pollute rivers.

Commenting on the report, Dr. Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said, “Faulty septic tanks are a risk to human health and the environment. If not built and operated properly, they can pollute watercourses and contaminate household drinking water wells with harmful bacteria and viruses. Where septic tanks are not functioning properly, it is critical that householders fix the problems to protect their family’s health, and the environment.”

Where septic tanks fail inspection, local authorities issue advisory notices to householders setting out what is required to fix the problem. The report found that there were 550 cases where issues notified to householders over two years previously had still not been addressed. The septic tank grant scheme, offers grants up to €5,000 to assist in addressing malfunctioning systems. Over 200 grants, totaling nearly €1 million were awarded in 2022.

Criticism of Tipperary Co. Council.

Mr Noel Byrne, EPA Programme Manager said, ‘It is unacceptable that failed septic tanks have not been fixed more than two years after inspection. Half of these involve sewage surfacing in gardens and discharging to ditches and streams, which are health risks that cannot be allowed to continue. Greater enforcement is needed by local authorities, particularly in Tipperary, Roscommon, Waterford and Leitrim, to ensure failed systems are fixed to protect human health and the environment.”

The National Inspection Plan for Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems 2022 – 2026 was published in 2021. The plan increases inspections from 1,000 to 1,200 from 2023 onwards. There was a shortfall in inspections by five local authorities in 2022 and these need to be completed in 2023. Inspections are focused near rivers where there is greater risk to water quality, and areas with shallow soils where there is greater risk to household wells.

The report, Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems Inspections in 2022, is available on the EPA’s website.

For Further information: Contact Emily Williamson EPA Media Relations Office Tel: 053-9170770 (24 hours) or media@epa.ie

Cocaine Use On Increase In Co. Tipperary.

Co. Tipperary came fourth, behind counties Dublin, Cork, and Limerick, when it came to calculating the number of people obtaining treatment for cocaine addiction last year (2022).

Some 144 people; an increase of 30 over the previous year’s figures (2021), were identified, at yesterday’s meeting of the Tipperary Joint Policing Committee.

The figures quoted, at the meeting, were based on observations by an Garda Síochána; latter operating on the ground locally.

An Garda Síochána report that cocaine, in Ireland, is now foolishly accepted as being often “okay” and “great craic”, despite the drug’s significant impact on Irish family life, employment, escalating community crime, and personal relationships; with serious abusers of the drug often refusing to seek professional assistance, resulting in serious addiction, homelessness and often death.