On site in Ireland: Empa researcher Andreas Leemann talks to the media about Empa’s research results. Image: Paul Dunlop/Ulster University
On site in Ireland: Empa researcher Andreas Leemann talks to the media about Empa's research results. Image: Paul Dunlop/Ulster University - After extensive analyses, researchers found the cause of the concrete scandal in County Donegal, Ireland, where structural damage has been causing red faces and protests for years: Concrete walls of thousands of houses are riddled with cracks, necessitating expensive repairs or even demolition. For the longest time, an excessively high mica content in the concrete was thought to be the reason. Thanks to the Empa investigation, serious structural damage can be avoided in the future, as the real culprit - the mineral pyrrhotite - has now been identified. "Our houses are crumbling!" reads a banner at a demonstration in Dublin. "100% reparation," reads T-shirts worn by participants - seen in a photo in the Nov. 15 online edition of The Irish Times.
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