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30 May 1999
Friends of the Earth has spent the last three weeks analysing official pollution data for 1998, released by the Environment Agency on May 12th. The analysis reveals that 14,315 tonnes of cancer-causing chemicals, 100,951 mgs of dioxins and 1,640,483 tonnes of acid rain gases were pumped out into the atmosphere in 1998. 706,817 tonnes of toxic waste were also produced. Dioxins are a group of some of the most toxic compounds known to man, and are dangerous even in tiny quantities.
The Environment Agency data only details pollution from the 1,500 largest factories. It does not detail releases from smaller factories, landfill sites, sewage treatment works or transport, a situation that Friends of the Earth says needs “urgent attention”.
The pollution from the named factories accounts for 89 per cent of cancer-causing
chemicals released by the county's biggest factories, 88 per cent of
dioxins, 55 per cent of toxic waste and 82 per cent of acid rain gases.
Much of this pollution is being released in poor areas, with 75 per
cent of the factories located in areas of below average household income.
Mike Childs, Senior Pollution Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
“This List of Shame will worry anyone who lives next to a grossly polluting factory. It's true that, overall, pollution levels have fallen over the last decade.But we have to go much further if people's health and the environment are to be protected. We want the Government to see that releases of hazardous substances are cut by 80 per cent over the next five years. The Government must also deliver on their election promise to introduce comprehensive pollution inventories, so people can see what other health-threatening pollution is being released in their neighbourhood”.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Friends of the Earth's Factory Watch Campaign aims to reduce the
release of hazardous chemicals into the environment. It is virtually
impossible to prove that the release of carcinogenic chemicals causes
any particular case of cancer. Cancer also results from people's eating,
smoking and drinking habits. However, some recent research has shown
that industrial pollution does lead to increased cancers. For example
researchers at the University of Newcastle found increased lung cancers
in Teesside which they attribute to industrial pollution.
The cancer-causing chemicals used in the analysis are all recognised
carcinogens. Lists by factory are available.
2. Dioxins are persistent by-products of combustion processes and manufacture
of chlorinated chemicals. The World Health Organisation recently reduced
its recommended safe limit for dioxin intake to 1-4 pg/kg/day ( a picogram
is a thousandth of a billionth of a gramme). Most consumers in the UK
are likely to be exceeding this intake in their daily diet. Dioxins
are suspected of causing reduced sperm counts, reduced fertility, genital
malformations, learning difficulties and endometriosis.The Government
does not have a strategy for reducing people's exposure to dioxins to
below the World Health Organisation's recommended safe limit. Friends
of the Earth are calling for dioxin releases to be significantly reduced
and for no new sources to be allowed unless it can be proved that local
people's intake will not exceed WHO levels.
Dioxins from steel works are thought to arise primarily from the use
of chlorinated cutting oils.
3. In August 1998, the Lancet published a research report suggesting
that babies born near hazardous waste dumps are a third more likely
to be born with birth defects. Following this report,the Government
has commissioned further research to look at a range of health impacts
around both hazardous and non-hazardous landfill sites. At present people
living near these sites are not allowed details of which companies are
disposing of waste in their communities. This stops them being involved
in official consultations on authorisations granted to the factories
involved. Friends of the Earth describes this as an “unacceptable
democratic deficit”.
4. In April 1999, Michael Meacher, Minister for the Environment, said:
“to many people, acid rain is a problem of the past. In fact,
it is still very much with us and continuing to threaten Sites of Special
Scientific Interest and other precious habitats.” The UK Government
is legally obliged to ensure that emissions of sulphur dioxide are reduced
by 80 per cent by 2010 from a 1980 baseline. But these reductions are
far from adequate. Over 250 SSSIs (key wildlife sites) will still be
damaged by acid rain after these reductions have been achieved. The
UK Government and industry have been hostile to proposals by the European
Commission for further cuts in the main acid rain gases. The EC plan
to come forwards with new proposals soon.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest damaged by acid rain include:
Buttermere fells (Cumbria),Richmond Park (London) and Martin Mere (Lancs).
Full list available.
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
