Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether human health risk assessments for municipal waste incinerators are required to quantify per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance emissions to air and resulting human exposure through inhalation, environmental deposition and the food chain.

The Environment Agency does not require any such assessments when determining permit applications for new municipal waste incinerators.

When consulted, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides an expert and independent opinion to the regulator on the potential human health impacts of emissions arising from existing or proposed regulated facilities at the permit application stage. This assists the regulator in making decisions on whether or not to grant permits to regulated facilities. Guidance on environmental permitting and the role of UKHSA can be found here: Environmental permitting and the role of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) - GOV.UK (see attached).

Municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) in England are not permitted to accept hazardous wastes which contain PFAS such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexanesulfonic Acid (PFHxS). These are the PFAS for which the strongest evidence base on environmental and human health impact concerns exists. The presence of such PFAS above the regulatory thresholds means they are classed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and must be sent to hazardous waste incinerators (or other suitable disposal route).