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

To ask His Majesty's Government what methodology and health-based criteria, if any, the Environment Agency uses to assess human per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure through inhalation, environmental deposition and the food chain where PFAS emissions from a municipal waste incinerator have not been quantified; and how existing PFAS exposure through food, drinking water and the environment is taken into account.

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

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).