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Environmnent Agency Failing the Poor (Industrial Pollution)
15 September 1999
Friends of the Earth research shows that Britain's biggest factories release over 14,000 tonnes of cancer-causing chemicals every year. Ninety-nine per cent of these are in areas with an average household income of under £15,000 a year, whilst only five are in areas with an average household income of £30,000 or more. At the AGM, FOE will call on:
. the Government to set a target for the Environment Agency to reduce the release of hazardous chemicals into air, water and land by 80 per cent by 2005.
. the Courts to back the Agency by punishing industrial polluters with punitive fines when they commit environmental crimes.
However, FOE will congratulate the Agency for producing a Pollution Inventory earlier this year, which put industrial pollution data on the internet. The Pollution Inventory is the first step in producing the comprehensive pollution inventory promised during the General Election by Environment Minister Michael Meacher. FOE is calling for the inventory to be extended to cover other pollution sources and to include information on health impacts.
Mike Childs, Senior Pollution Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
“The Environment Agency is letting down the poorest in society by allowing the industrial giants to dump thousands of tonnes of dangerous chemicals into their communities every year. The Agency has got to stop playing 'softly, softly' with industry. It must stand-up to the polluters and help protect the health of people living in Britain's poorest neighbourhoods”.
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jul 2008
