Home > Press releases > 2002
23 Oct 2002
Cancer causing chemical pollution from Britain’s biggest factories
fell by a fifth last year, according to the first analysis of official
pollution data published by Friends of the Earth today (see table
on page 2 of this release).
For the last five years Friends of the Earth has been using raw pollution
data from the Environment Agency to calculate and publish league tables
of the worst polluters for cancer-causing chemicals. Since the campaign
began in 1998, releases of cancer-causing gases have fallen by 48 per
cent.
However, these achievements must not be allowed to relieve pressure
on companies to cut pollution levels further. Almost 8000 tonnes of
cancer-causing gases are still released by Britain’s biggest factories,
many of which are located in socially deprived areas already facing
numerous other health threats. In Teesside, where Friends of the Earth
has been working closely with the local communities over the last 18
months, pollution levels fell by less than 10 per cent last year and
have only fallen by 23 per cent since 1998.
Reductions are a result of a number of factors including
Friends of the Earth wants the Environment Agency to produce information
on pollution releases compared to production levels, to enable better
analyses of the data.
Mike Childs, Senior Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
“Cuts in factory pollution are good news for the environment
and good news for people who have to live near polluting
factories. These results vindicate Friends of the Earth’s
approach of linking chemical pollution to potential health threats
and ‘naming and shaming’ the worst polluters. The Environment
Agency, the official pollution watchdog, has done good work in
forcing cuts in pollution. But much
more needs to be done, especially in socially deprived areas such as Teesside.
Zero release of health-threatening pollution must be the goal.”
Releases of recognised carcinogens (tonnes)
|
Rank 2001 |
Company |
2001 |
% change 2000-2001 |
% change, 1998-2001 |
Rank, 1998 |
|
1 |
Ineos Chlor, Runcorn, WA7 4JE |
1303 |
-49 |
- 60 |
2 |
|
2 |
Associated Octel, Ellesmere Port, L65 4HF |
894 |
-34 |
- 78 |
1 |
|
3 |
Glaxo, Ulverston, LA12 9DR |
773 |
+24 |
-28 |
3 |
|
4 |
Carpenter, Glossop, SK13 6LE |
454 |
+0.6 |
+ 7 |
6 |
|
5 |
Ineos Chlor, Teesside, TS90 8JA |
373 |
-9 |
- 28 |
5 |
|
6 |
Acordis Acetate, Lancaster, LA1 3PE |
348 |
+14 |
+ 16 |
9 |
|
7 |
Recticel Manufacturing, Alfreton, DE55 4RD |
245 |
-7 |
- 22 |
7 |
|
8 |
Vitafoam, Middleton, M24 2DB |
189 |
-3 |
- 34 |
11 |
|
9 |
Huntsman Petrochemicals, N Tees, TS2 1TT |
178 |
+2 |
- 39 |
10 |
|
10 |
Esso Petroleum, Fawley, Southampton, SO45 1TX |
175 |
-5 |
- 11 |
13 |
|
|
Top 10 total |
|
-24 |
- 54 |
|
|
|
National total |
7853 |
- 18 |
- 48 |
|
Note that some companies have changed ownership
since 1998. The table above uses the current names and has compared
the same industrial processes during the four years. The following companies
have moved out of the top ten since 1998:
* Fine Organics, N Tees, TS2 1UB (308 tonnes in
1998, 85 t in 2001 – a 72 % reduction)
* European Vinyls, Thornton Clevelys, FY5 4QD (581 tonnes in 1998, a
process was shut down during 2000)
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
