§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when her Department will publish interim and final results from studies on possible health effects associated with landfill sites; [56850]
(2) what assessment her Department has made of the implications for landfill sites in UK of the Eurohazcon study on landfill sites throughout Europe; [56851]
(3) what studies her Department is sponsoring to investigate possible health effects associated with landfill sites. [56849]
§ Mr. MeacherFollowing a European study (the first Eurohazcon study) published in 1998 that reported a 33 per cent. higher rate of non-chromosomal anomalies among people living near hazardous waste sites, the Government commissioned a programme of work on 491W health effects of landfill sites including a much more extensive national study by the Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU); this was published in the summer 2001.
The SAHSU study found that 80 per cent. of the population lives within 2 kilometres of a landfill site (operational or closed). The SAHSU study looked at the rates of all birth defects (chromosomal and non-chromosomal) and found only a slightly higher rate (1 per cent.) in populations living near landfill sites and a 7 per cent. higher rate near hazardous waste sites. The Government's expert advisory committee, the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment, noted that this excess risk was small and could be accounted for by factors other than the landfill sites. The study has not shown, nor indeed could it show, a causal link between landfill sites and birth defects.
Earlier this year a second Eurohazcon study was published. The study investigated the rates of certain birth defects (chromosomal anomalies) around 23 European hazardous waste landfill sites, including 12 sites in Great Britain. It found a 41 per cent. higher rate of chromosomal anomalies close to sites (0 to 3km) compared to further away (3 to 7km).
The major difference between the two studies is the scale. The Eurohazcon study looked at populations around 23 landfills spread right across Europe, whereas the SAHSU study looked at populations within 2km of 9,565 sites (80 per cent. of the British population) of which 774 were known to take hazardous waste. The SAHSU study was therefore much more comprehensive. As such the results are less likely to be skewed by the pattern of birth defects surrounding any individual landfill site.
Both the SAHSU and Eurohazcon reports have recommended further work and DEFRA, the Department of Health and the Environment Agency have a considerable amount of work planned or under way. A great deal is already known about the general make-up of gases that are emitted from landfill sites. However, better information is needed on the substances present in very low concentrations in landfill emissions and the levels of exposure experienced by people living near to landfills. To obtain this information, research is currently under way to analyse over 12 months the emissions from municipal landfills. This monitoring study will provide information on which to make a more informed assessment of the likelihood of landfill sites posing a risk to health. The work will be completed next summer and published as soon as possible thereafter.
This Department hosted a seminar on 15 May 2002 to consider where there are gaps in the research on health impacts of all waste management options and to help prioritise future research. There are no risk-free options but conducting such research will allow local authorities and others to make more informed choices about the range, type and location of facility they wish to operate.