Incinerator raises fertility fear

The HPA say modern incinerators have little affect on health HPA's Position Statement

A retired GP has raised objections to a proposed incinerator in Cornwall saying it could increase infertility, infant deaths, miscarriages and birth defects.

Dr Dick Van Steenis has been investigating the health effects of incineration plants for 12 years.

He said there was a fault with the way "toxic" emissions were tested.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said incinerators have little effect on health if they comply with modern regulatory requirements.

Waste company Sita has put forward plans to build the incinerator in an area of land near St Dennis after it won a £500m contract to manage Cornwall's waste last July.

If the plans are approved, the site could be up and running by 2012.

Residents have opposed the scheme, and posters saying: "Wanted: A pollution free Cornwall" have been attached to lamp posts in the area.

'Stringent regulations'

Dr Van Steenis claims his research of 15 incinerators in the UK has shown cancer rates increase five-fold and that asthma and depression rates also rise in areas around plants.

He collected evidence from government data to show the effects of PM2.5 particles which are released and can be harmful if breathed in.

There is clearly a gap between the public's perception of incineration and what many health studies have been telling us Dr Gev Eduljee, technical director of Sita

He said: "No matter which installation you look at that produces PM2.5 particles, you get the same effects, in the same places at the same rate, irrespective."

Dr Gev Eduljee, the technical director of Sita UK, said over the last 20 years, 24 public enquiries and judicial hearings have found incinerators to be safe.

He added: "There is clearly a gap between the public's perception of incineration and what many health studies have been telling us, which is that there is no evidence of adverse health effects or any negative impacts on the local surroundings or the local economy.

"This is a challenge that we as an industry have to tackle along with the government and regulators.

"We can only do that by inviting the public into our facilities, showing them our data and giving them honest and accurate information about what we do."

He said Sita does know what was coming out of its incinerators, levels of PM2.5 are extremely low and the Environment Agency carry out random tests to confirm the readings.

The HPA said: "There is little evidence to suggest that incinerators are associated with increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms in the surrounding population.

"Modern, well-managed waste incinerators will only make a very small contribution to background levels of air pollution."