Incinerators emit PM2.5 particulates, which usually contain heavy metals, PAHs and sometimes radioactive waste [in 2002, there were 34 incinerators in England & Wales that were authorised to burn radioactive waste]. These pass through abatement systems and are totally unregulated and not measured in the UK. The content is worse for health owing to hazardous fuel as well as hazardous content, often imported. These PM2.5s are breathed in and the soluble parts pass through the body causing widespread health damage. The government has been slow to react to this pollution.

Dr Dick Van Steenis has for many years warned of the dangers. Using studies carried out in places such as Harlem in New York and San  Francisco in California that showed that these particulates are
exceedingly dangerous because they are small enough to enter the lungs and embed themseves.

In the US these regulations already exist and the European Union has now said it will introduce legislation similar to that across the pond.

This can cause anything from respiratory diseases, to cancers and can affect a foetus in its mother?s womb causing abnormalities or death. Incinerators emit PM2.5 particulates, which usually contain heavy metals, PAHs and sometimes radioactive waste [in 2002, there were 34 incinerators in England & Wales that were authorised to burn radioactive waste]. These pass through abatement systems and are totally unregulated and not measured in the UK. The content is worse for health owing to hazardous fuel as well as hazardous content, often imported. These PM2.5s are breathed in and the soluble parts pass through the body causing widespread health damage.

1. All circulatory disease
2. All malignant neoplasms [i.e. cancers
3. CHD [coronary heart disease]
4. Breast cancer
5. Lung cancer
6. Suicide & undetermined injury
7. Stroke
8. Liver disease & cirrhosis
9. Stomach cancer
10. Diabetes
    

The Environment Agency do not regulate or measure PM2.5 emissions, despite the fact that only particles of less than 3 microns in diameter are small enough to enter the lungs.

Nobody at the the Department of Health bothers to check the changes in illness or death rates and action groups, despite losing campaign after campaign, continue to use the same failing tactics and refuse to support the safest option, ie plasma gasification.

US save $193 bn while UK overspend on health

Incinerators, and other sources of industrial PM2.5 pollution, reduce health and life-span, thereby placing greater strain on NHS, DSS, Education Dept, Police and Prisons, as well as reducing inflow of funds into pension funds when people in their 40s and 50s are dying during peak earning times [remember the 4 fatalities of Great North Run, September 2005].

The US reduced industrial PM2.5 emissions and saved $193 billion in reduced hospital costs & fewer days off work [Click here to read Washington Post article, 27 September 2003], while the UK has done the exact opposite and now has a health service in crisis and the highest asthma rate in the world, soon to be followed by the highest cancer rate. USEPA are in the process of further tightening of PM2.5 emissions to save another $100 billion per annum in health costs. Meanwhile, the UK is laying off nurses and closing hospital beds due to cash shortfall caused by increasing sickness rates as a direct consequence of escalating PM2.5 emissions from incinerators and also from hazardous waste being co-incinerated with coal in cement works [such as by CEMEX at both Barrington and Rugby, by Castle Cement at Clitheroe, and by Lafarge at Westbury] and also some power stations, all totally unregulated regarding the vital PM2.5 emissions that are causing health damage.

Infant Mortality

The Children's charity BLISS publicise the wide variations in infant mortality rates by PCT for years 2002 - 2004 [Click here to see press release]. The ten PCTs with the highest infant mortality rates listed by BLISS were all affected by PM2.5 emissions from incinerators. The ten lowest were all free from high PM2.5 emissions.

North Bradford Primary Care Trust had an infant mortality rate of 19.4 per 1,000 live births in 2002 [19 infant deaths], whereas Eden Valley PCT had zero infant deaths and 565 live births in the same year and Scarborough, Whitby & Ryedale PCT had an infant mortality rate of 0.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2002. Why was the 2002 infant mortality rate in North Bradford PCT 27.7 times greater than in Scarborough, Whitby & Ryedale PCT? Helsinki has an infant mortality rate of 3.3 per 1,000.

The worst three and best two London PCTs for infant mortality according to ONS in 2002-2004 were:

In 2002, the London Primary Care Trust with the highest rate of recorded deaths under 12 months, ie infant deaths plus stillbirths, was also Brent Teaching PCT where there were 4153 live births, 33 stillbirths and 44 infant deaths [18.7 recorded deaths per 1,000 total recorded births].

Greenwich Teaching PCT was also appallingly bad, with 3344 live births, 31 stillbirths and 25 infant deaths [16.6 recorded deaths per 1,000 total recorded births].

Infant mortality and childhood asthma are just two early parameters which can be readily measured and which give an accurate indicator of the likely health damage which cover some 30 conditions outlined by Dr Dick van Steenis in “Should regulators pass killing & maiming in Cambs?” [Click here to read report]. Campaigners against the proposed new plant by CEMEX at Barrington will be familiar with the report by Dr Dick van Steenis as a few of them met Dr van Steenis and would have noticed that CEMEX cancelled their proposed works about two weeks after Dr van Steenis’ report was published because of its accuracy. Cambridge residents should be concerned that Addenbrooke’s Hospital incinerator is one of the 34 authorised to burn radioactive waste. Any incinerator at Addenbrooke’s will cause elevated rates of illness in downwind areas and a comparison of asthma rates among primary school children in Cherry Hinton compared with upwind schools will show elevated asthma rates in that Cambridge suburb. 

Life expectancy con trick

Professor Tom Kirkwood, of Newcastle University’s Institute for Health & Ageing, thinks “life expectancy in the UK is increasing at a rate of five hours every day” [Shropshire Star, 10 June 2006].  Professor Kirkwood hasn’t realised that those living into their 90s and beyond have:

1. had at least half their lives on a fully organic diet
2. not had a wide range of vaccines pumped into their bodies
3. avoided exposure to radioactivity for at least half their lives
4. had much less exposure to industrial PM2.5 pollution

Living longer than one’s parents should be a happy prospect - if such longer lives are in good health. The premature deaths caused by increased PM2.5s are almost always preceded by a period of miserable ill-health.

Most people belive that we are all living longer, but the above will help explain how easy it is to be fooled. Dr Daniel Dorling's 'Death in Britain' examined mortality rates in different locations and trends in rates of infant mortality. The main factor in determining life expectancy is the quality of air breathed. If, like much of the UK, you live in an area of high industrial PM2.5 pollution, it is possible to mitigate some of the health damage by using HEPA filters in the home or workplace.

Taken from notes prepared by Michael Ryan BSc, C Eng, MICE
14 June, 2006