Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2018 to Question 212589 on Incinerators: Health Hazards, which reports provided via the url link in that Answer reference PM0.1 and PM1 emissions from incinerators.

None of these assessments focus specifically on particulate matter emissions from incinerators.

Public Health England’s (PHE’s) position is that well run and regulated modern municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) are not a significant risk to public health. This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and the fact that modern and well managed MWIs make only a very small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants.

PHE will review its advice in light of new substantial research on the health effects of MWIs published in peer reviewed journals. To date, PHE is not aware of any evidence that requires a change in its position statement.