In Toivakka, Central Finland, there is a company that makes pre-fabricated concrete building units. They are sold all over the country and in the past were trucked to the Soviet Union. The product is good and the company has a reputation for quality. The sand they use comes from an enormous quarry that was a relatively small pit some twenty years ago. This site borders the northern side of our small piece of land. Ever since we moved here, an event that was unavoidable and cannot be remedied, the workings have been a source of discomfort, annoyance and pain.

Recent expansion of the operation has introduced a new and serious threat. Huge sand heaps have been placed close to our border and vast amounts of fine sand blown from them falls on us frequently. In addition trucks rush back and forth between the excavation and the storage dumps on our border and near the main road. This stirs large amounts of dust that descends, not only on us, but as an invisible cloud on the village as well. This matter is dealt with in Part IV and information can be found in World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheets on the Internet - Silicosis

All we want is that the noise level be tolerable, that normal working hours be enforced and that we should not be subjected to hazardous wind-blown sand and other pollution.

My wife and I seem to be the only two people in Toivakka who realize there is a threat. Many people in the village are dependent on the good-will of the company for their livelihood and seem not to care about what has been going on for decades. In 1993 the noise was a nuisance that often exceeded the allowable limit of 55 decibels for a residential area. It has now become horrendous. Each time we raise an objection the company counters with statements like 'The Company is in jeopardy!', 'Do you want your Company to be harmed?' and so on. The result is that we have achieved little besides a temporary reduction of the noise some years ago. The company will do nothing unless pressure is brought to bear and we do not have the resources for that. With lawyers, money and the backing of the Toivakka Council they have frustrated every effort we have made to reduce the nuisance. For example, they were granted a permit to work from 06:00 to 22:00. We objected, but were ignored. The noise is very disturbing and usually involves an excavator, tip-trucks and bulldozers. The noisy sifting machine, once 200 metres from us, has been moved much closer. At the moment it is silent, but once it starts again the noise will be much worse.

I have prepared these pages so that you may become aware of our problems and even suggest what can be done. Everything you read here can be substantiated. We hope your expressed opinions will help. Please spare us a little of your time and send these opinions to the most appropriate of the address links below. You may get the authorities and the Company to stop this pollution. This is not a Finnish problem alone and we are not the only people suffering, the workers and others in the village are also at risk ... without their knowledge. Furthermore, other Finnish communities are being devastated by quarrying operations as well. Finland is part of Europe now and her policies should be aligned with the rest of the Union.

E D F Williams PhD
41660 TOIVAKKA
Finland
eMail: Don Williams

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The Cement Company from HELL - M H Betoni Oy - Toivakka - Finland

Managing Director: Ilkka Honkanen,Director: Raisa Kukkonen,Director: Petri Sahlman,
Director: Mika Sahlman