Archived press release

Filthy factories named

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.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust