The Scottish Government’s green watchdog has launched an investigation into sharp rises in toxic pollution from two wood production plants in Stirlingshire and Ayrshire. The latest data released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has revealed leaps in emissions of arsenic, mercury, formaldehyde, dioxins and other toxins from the Cowie wood panel manufacturer near Stirling and the Barony chipboard factory in Auchinleck. Emissions of climate-wrecking carbon dioxide from five industrial sites also rose between 2020 and 2021, despite emissions from other major climate polluters falling. By far the biggest carbon emitter in 2021 was the petrochemical giant, Ineos, whose five facilities at Grangemouth produced more than a quarter of all the emissions from Scottish industry. Other major emitters were the energy firm, SSE, the oil multinational, ExxonMobil, and the Dunbar cement maker, Tarmac. Environmentalists warned of the “frightening impacts” of toxins on public health, food and childhood development. They condemned the “shameful roll call of Scotland’s biggest polluters”. Companies pointed out that pollution fluctuated from year to year as demand changed, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. They stressed that they took their environmental responsibilities seriously. Sepa has published the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory for 2021 including over 80 air pollutants from more than 800 sites across Scotland. According to Sepa, overall emissions of greenhouse gases decreased by five per cent since 2020. But carbon dioxide pollution from the wood processing industry rose by 21 per cent between 2020 and 2021. Sepa attributed this to “process changes during the pandemic” and big increases in emissions from two sites. There was a 30 per cent increase to 265,000 tonnes from the Cowie plant and a 69 per cent increase to 193,000 tonnes from an expansion at a sister plant at Morayhill in Inverness. Both plants were bought from previous owner, Norbord, by the Canadian company, West Fraser, in 2021. At the same time the Cowie plant’s emissions of other toxic pollutants which can threaten health and wildlife also increased significantly. Releases of dioxins, which can cause cancer and damage the immune system, tripled to 150,000 micrograms, the highest of any site in Scotland in 2021. The site’s emissions of formaldehyde, which can also cause cancer, doubled to 147,000 tonnes in 2021, again the highest figure in Scotland. In addition there was a 39 per cent increase in arsenic emissions, and a 16 per cent rise in mercury emissions. This is a shameful roll call of Scotland’s biggest polluters who are seemingly happy to treat our shared environment as a dumping ground in their pursuit of profit. Mary Church, Friends of the Earth Scotland The Ferret reported in 2018 that under Norbord, the Cowie mill had been rated as “poor” for pollution by Sepa in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017. The site was also issued with a “final warning letter” following dust pollution incidents in 2018. Another chipboard plant run by the Austrian firm, Egger, at Barony, Auchinleck, in East Ayrshire also recorded high and rising toxic pollution. In 2021 it was responsible for Scotland’s highest emissions of lead (787 kilograms) — a poison which can cause brain damage. The plant’s emissions of dioxins, arsenic, mercury and formaldehyde also recorded rises. It released 34 kilograms of another toxic metal, antimony — more than any other site in Scotland. Sepa told The Ferret that “quality control checks” of its pollution data had identified “an increase in emissions of heavy metals and other chemicals to air” from the Cowie and Barony plants. “This is currently being investigated by Sepa,” said a spokesperson for the agency. Sepa requires companies to comply with pollution rules by testing for contamination, monitoring and reporting emissions. Year to year variations were “expected” due to sampling frequency and process changes, Sepa said...