Anti-incinerator poster in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian Burt.
Incinerator health risk study welcomed by King’s Lynn campaigners
by Donna Semmens
Monday, May 2, 2011
10:10 AM
The “for” and “against camps both support Government study into potential health risks of burning waste.
Government plans for a study into whether waste incinerators impact upon cancer and infant mortality rates have been welcomed by both backers of, and campaigners against, plans for such a plant in Norfolk.
It has been confirmed that a team from London’s Imperial College will carry out research for the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in order to determine once and for all whether particles released by such plants can damage health.
The news comes as controversial plans to build an incinerator on the Saddlebow industrial estate, near King’s Lynn have caused Norfolk County Council to be at loggerheads with West Norfolk Borough Council, which carried out a poll among residents and returned a 93pc vote against the development.
The county council is soon to sign a contract with Cory Wheelabrator to provide the facility, but West Norfolk council is threatening legal action in a bid to prevent it from going ahead – mainly due to health fears.
Last night, both those for and against the proposals welcomed the study.
Mike Knights, spokesman for the anti campaign said he felt such a move was unlikely to delay the on-going plans for Norfolk, the outcome of which, he believes is more than likely to be decided by a court.
He said news of a proper study was well overdue, adding: “There are good reasons to be concerned as the HPA is not recognising the evidence and they have not done any studies. The evidence the HPA has been using is based on opinion of estimates provided by a company working for the incinerator industry.
“We have had no faith in the HPA guidelines but I would expect this to be a proper study with Imperial College.”
Mr Knights claimed that there was an overwhelming amount of evidence suggesting those living close to incinerators suffered as a result.
He added: “We have been telling the county council this – there has been no proper study.”
But county leader Derrick Murphy said he too welcomed the fact a study would be carried out.
“I think it’s only right and fitting that the most up to date data is used,” he said.
“We have always worked hand-in-glove with the Government,” he added.
Mr Murphy said he had “no interest whatsover” in building a plant that would be unsafe, given that he lives about 4.5 miles from the site itself.
“It is up to the Government to assuage these concerns and would applaud research into the area. The technology has changed and an incinerator of 1980 is very different from an incinerator of today, although they are both called the same,” he said.
Mr Murphy would not be drawn on the potential impact on the Lynn incinerator of a study which concluded there are associated health issues.
The county council has appointed Cory Wheelabrator as preferred contractor to build the plant which would deal with 170,000 tonnes of domestic waste.
A statement from the HPA said: “Well run and regulated modern municipal waste incinerators are not a significant risk to public health.
“However, we recognise that there are real public concerns about this issue and will take every possible step to reassure people that the position is as we have outlined. HPA also continually seeks to review and extend the evidence base on which it bases its advice.
“For these reasons we are in discussions with researchers at Imperial College London about a potential study into birth outcomes around municipal waste incinerators and a detailed proposal for what will be a complex study is being drawn up.”
The issue of long-term damage to health is centred around particles being released into the air, including PM2.5, which are released as part of the incineration process.
Mr Knights said that a Freedom of Information request to the Environment Agency had revealed that the most modern and efficient filters still left up to 95pc of PM2.5 in the air.
“For the Government to say that modern plants remove 99.9 pc of PM10 is meaningless - PM10 is much bigger. It’s like smashing a sheet of asbestos over a sieve - 99 pc of it would be caught, but it’s the finer, much smaller particles that are most damaging to peoples’ health,” he claimed.
“There is certainly evidence to suggest that there is a great risk.”
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13 comments
Anyone remember me speaking at Costessey High School incinerator meeting, 29 January 2007? The HPA are going to pick over the infant mortality data on the maps I showed at the above meeting. They know that the same maps were printed by Surrey Mirror & the Dorking Advertiser in Jan 2008. The Environment Agency assume that incinerators don't harm health because the HPA have told them so.
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Michael Ryan
Friday, May 6, 2011
Anyone remember me speaking at Costessey High School incinerator meeting, 29 January 2007? The HPA are going to pick over the infant mortality data on the maps I showed at the above meeting. They know that the same maps were printed by Surrey Mirror & the Dorking Advertiser in Jan 2008. The Environment Agency assume that incinerators don't harm health because the HPA have told them so.
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Michael Ryan
Friday, May 6, 2011
re readers aware that the HPA promised to study health effects of landfill sites & incinerators in August 2003, but didn't bother. The HPA also promised to have an inquiry into birth defect rates after my research was reported in Yorkshire Post, 1st & 15th Sept 2005, but didn't bother. I don't expect the promised study to have any value - apart from it being a U-turn. See Hansard, 30 November 2009 Column 539W for written reply to PQ by Paul Holmes MP
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Michael Ryan
Friday, May 6, 2011
re readers aware that the HPA promised to study health effects of landfill sites & incinerators in August 2003, but didn't bother. The HPA also promised to have an inquiry into birth defect rates after my research was reported in Yorkshire Post, 1st & 15th Sept 2005, but didn't bother. I don't expect the promised study to have any value - apart from it being a U-turn. See Hansard, 30 November 2009 Column 539W for written reply to PQ by Paul Holmes MP
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Michael Ryan
Friday, May 6, 2011
I believe the brown dust is Fly ash. This is dioxin. It has to be removed from site in sealed containers. It is worse than asbestos. I expect more fines. $7.5 million this week and not so long ago $450 million due to false accountancy
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Choice
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Cory Wheelabrator have let masses of brown dust out of their well run incinerator at Bexley. Today is the worsted it has ever been. Residents are up in arms. Well run my?
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Knee deep In Toxic ash
Thursday, May 5, 2011
This survey will extrapolate data from other facillities far more up to standard than those proposed here. Wheelabrator has not built any modern incinerators since the 1990's and their designs are inferior to anything built since. The project should now be stopped and Mr. Murphy should resign his position, he has not done well.
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ingo wagenknecht
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Fenscape are you forgetting which government was in power when these plans were made? And which government left councils dancing to the tune of the EUs laws on landfill-which is why the incinerator is being built. If NCC does not meet EU landfill reduction targets it will face fines and council tax payers will foot the bill. The last government had over 10 years to put packaging restrictions on all manufactured goods sold in the UK and to force through recycling measures but it failed miserably. If packaging material is not recyclable and if recycled material cannor be sold current councils are between a rock and a hard place created by the previous government and the EU. This is not to say the incinerator is the right choice, but that the deadline for complying is approaching fast and councils have been lumbered.
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Daisy Roots
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
At last, a proper enquiry!! Surely, the Government should call for all proposed Incineration Plants in the UK to be put on hold until the results of this study are made public.
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Christine
Monday, May 2, 2011
Cllr Murphy; “We have always worked hand-in-glove with the Government,”... More like "Nose up backside."!
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Fenscape
Monday, May 2, 2011
Please remember the 98,000 tonnes of Commercial and Industrial waste that will also be processed, which is where Cory will make a good part of their profit.This has been downplayed so far. When does the research start and how can it estimate long term effects on health with any degree of certainty?
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bedoomed
Monday, May 2, 2011
At last! Someone is listening so let's put ALL incinerator plans on hold until we have the outcome of the studies. No further contracts should be signed until such time.
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Christine
Monday, May 2, 2011
May we all assume, from Cllr Murphy's clearly expressed enthusiasm for this research, that the NCC Cabinet will now put the incinerator contract on hold until the results of the research are published?
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John Martin
Monday, May 2, 2011