Disability foundation Inspire was concerned about air quality after the nearby Sant’Antnin recycling plant started burning acidic gas.

A disability foundation will be monitoring air quality at its Marsascala premises after a neighbouring recycling plant developed a fault and started burning an acidic gas.

Inspire appointed its own expert after the Government acted on recommendations to close a family park – sandwiched between the recycling plant and the foundation – until the recycling plant fault is repaired.

Inspire chief executive Nathan Farrugia said it was assured by the Environment Ministry and the Office of the Prime Minister over the weekend that emission levels from the recycling plant chimney were “well below” the safety margins set by the EU.

“We immediately contacted the authorities because of concerns about the health of our employees, summer school students and regulars who avail themselves of our services,” Mr Farrugia said.

We were told there is nothing to be alarmed about

He added that, as a precaution, Inspire appointed an independent university professor to monitor air quality at the premises over a period of days.

The foundation has also asked to see the technical details of the Government-commissioned report because the experts who drew it up also sampled air quality at the site.

“We were told there is nothing to be alarmed about and it comforts me to know that Wasteserv employees were still allowed to work at the recycling plant,” Mr Farrugia said.

A report published last week that evaluated the operations of the recycling facility recommended the family park be declared out of bounds until a fault in one of the compost-making machines was repaired.

As a result of the mechanical breakdown the plant has since May been burning hydrogen sulphide – a foul-smelling gas – rather than using it to produce electricity.

The Government has come under fire from the Opposition for its decision to close the family park for safety reasons while allowing Wasteserv employees to continue working at the recycling plant.

In a statement yesterday, the Government further clarified that emissions were below EU standards and the park’s closure was intended as a precautionary measure.

“The Government acted the moment it received the advice from the experts,” the Environment Ministry said.

It insisted park visitors had no way of knowing if air quality deteriorated suddenly while Wasteserv employees had real-time gas monitoring equipment that would alert them immediately.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com