Campaign group welcomes incinerator study (From Northwich Guardian)

Campaign group welcomes incinerator study

8:10am Tuesday 7th February 2012 in News

A NORTHWICH campaign group has welcomed a decision by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) to approve a new study into waste incinerators.

The organisation has said it hopes to provide further information to the public about Municipal Waste Incinerators (MWI) following the investigation, which will begin in April and produce its findings in March 2014.

Justin McCracken, chief executive of the HPA, said: “It is important to stress that our current position on the potential health effects of well run and regulated modern MWI’s remains valid. “This is that while it is not possible to rule out adverse health effects from modern, well regulated municipal waste incinerators with complete certainty, any potential damage to the health of those living close-by is likely to be very small, if detectable.

“This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and on the fact that modern and well managed municipal waste incinerators make only a very small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants.

“However, we recognise that there are public concerns about this issue and this study will provide valuable new evidence.”

Brian Cartwright, chairman of Cheshire Anti Incinerator Network (CHAIN), a group fighting against Tata Chemicals Europe’s plans for an energy from waste plant in Lostock, welcomed the announcement.

He added: “It is now obvious that the authorities are effectively admitting that there are significant doubts about the health risks to people who have the misfortune to live close to incinerator plants as CHAIN and medical experts have been saying for years.

“Bearing in mind the 15 kilometres distance to be studied, the entire population of Northwich and Middlewich, about 60,000 people, would be at risk if the TATA/E-ON and Covanta incinerators were in operation as well as residents of nearby towns including Knutsford, Winsford, Frodsham, Halton and Holmes Chapel.

CHAIN is therefore demanding that consideration of the planning applications for both incinerators is immediately halted at least until the final report of the study has been published and the implications fully assessed.”