SHOULD REGULATORS PASS KILLING & MAIMING IN SHROPSHIRE? (Precis of lecture given in Shrewsbury on 29.2.08) Email: safe_waste_shropshire@yahoo.com if you want to see the 338 references)
By Dr Dick van Steenis MBBS
Should you reside or work within 15 miles of Shrewsbury, which includes Telford & Wellington, Wem, Newport, Market Drayton, Shawbury, Baschurch & numerous villages, please read on. An incinerator planning application by Veolia is being promoted by the council. The council already allowed the Shrewsbury hospital incinerator to re-open a few years ago without allowing the public to comment under planning laws. The old chimney, full of carcinogenic radioactive particles & dioxins, was re-used. Incineration of waste causes a shortening of lifespan of up to 12 years often in the prime of life by increasing a range of diseases especially heart attacks & cancers. A 20 year university led study in Belgium detailed diseases and deaths caused during years 1 to 5, 6 to 10 and 11 to 20, ending up with a 480% rise in cancer incidence on top of the country's rise. The proposed chimney will spread the damage some 15 miles. Incineration of waste vaporises heavy metals making the particulates emitted even more lethal when you inhale them into your lungs. Emissions will consist of PM2.5 particulates which mostly pass through the abatement equipment and which go into the deepest part of your lungs when inhaled. Your health can be put at risk for 3 days just from an hour's exposure if the wind blows the PM2.5s your way. Readers should be aware that further interaction between gasses and ultrafine particles in the air from not just the proposed plant but others such as the existing hospital incinerator, Ironbridge Power Station (co-incinerator since 1998) and delivery vehicles will form new secondary PM2.5 particulates effectively doubling the incinerator's effects on health downwind.
When you inhale PM2.5 particulates the soluble fraction gets into the bloodstream and your cells, while the insoluble fraction is partly dealt with by macrophages and T-lymphocytes with the remainder walled off in the lungs causing COPD. When in the cells, mutations will occur due to heavy metals, PAHs any radioactivity or dioxins. Without adequate selenium in your blood to neutralise the metals, mutations will lead to birth defects and cancers. In USA even 12 year olds had 20% loss of lung function from PM2.5 induced COPD. Unlike USA where PM2.5s have been rigorously monitored & regulated since 1997, in the UK only PM1 Os (PM10 down to PM4—none of which gets into your lungs) are measured using instruments that can be adjusted to minus. Hence there is no regulation to protect the public. The IPPC law was downgraded by Prescott in 2000 to more or less "anything will do". The Environment Agency truthfully state that they know nothing about health. Far worse, the Health Protection Agency follows on from the Guy's Hospital unit director who said "Air pollution does not exist". So without knowledge of toxicology or using available data the PCT & Environment Agency & HPA only heed government "spin" and "reviews" and "diktat", while admitting they really know nothing. It is up to you, the reader, to challenge the PCT public health directors whom the GMC say must know the subject, be up to date and listen to & protect the public. The Environment Agency cannot finally authorise any application unless council and PCT public health director have both signed consent. The total NHS cost of this virtually unregulated industrial air pollution is c.L36 billion pa plus losses to education & productivity. it must also be understood that there will be cumulative impacts in the body and synergistic effects, for example cadmium & lead in the body will multiply the effects of mercury by 50 times – which will hence facilitate development of ADHD and autism processes.
The only safe way of handling waste is plasma-gasification which runs on electricity, produces vitrified gravel, hydrogen & electricity –all for sale- and has very low emissions at a nett cost of about £23 per ton compared with incinerators of £63 per ton plus another £67 of health damage p-.- ton plus huge volumes of toxic ash for disposal. Who has the morals to protect the public?? It is up to the reader to badger councillors & PCT to not only protect your health but to install this plasma gasification as the best available technique. If you read Popular Science of 30 October 2007, you will discover that even Panama will be treating all its waste by plasma producing 40% of its electricity and exporting hydrogen. Other plants are to be found seen in Ottawa, Michigan, Florida, New York etc. Veolia are building the Michigan plant while fobbing off English residents with inferior equipment by comparison.
The range of illnesses caused by inhaling PM2.5 particulates from waste burning include----Birth defects—terminations, live defects, miscarriages plus low birth weight babies.
Premature deaths of babies, infants and adults. In London the infant mortality in zones downwind of the incinerators is 7 times higher than in wards upwind. (ONS data 2003/5)
T-lymphocyte diversion to lungs with depletion causes SIDS, cot deaths, autism, MS, GBS Attention deficit and other behaviour problems.
Lower IQ & educational achievement down 2 years, worse GCSE grades Asthma, COPD, viral & bacterial respiratory & other infections (especially boys) Coronary heart disease, heart attacks, arteriosclerosis, strokes, SADS.
Diabetes type 2, (sometimes type 1), Endometriosis & other hormone disruption. Multiple chemical sensitivity with allergies & arthritis
ME, CFS, Hypothyroidism with low 'T3 level (adding to obesity)
Clinical depression & suicides, apathy, which increases the obesity problem. CANCERS—nonHodgkins lymphoma, brain, breast, colon, lung, prostate, kidney, liver etc Breast cancer for example can be caused by faulty genes (2%), HRT (5%) radiation, OP pesticides/herbicides, and from chimneys—cadmium, dioxins (& similar), & PAHs
Analysis of 9 health parameters in Telford by ward in 2005 revealed increases in illnesses and SMR in 7 polluted wards compared with 24 less polluted wards. An incinerator built in Colnbrook 1990 caused
Slough SMR to worsen from 88 to 121 by 2001 meaning 11 years off lifespan.
338 references are available to those interested in peer-reviewed reports in medical journals.
Those with internet can check www.ukhr.org and www.countrydoctor.co.uk (under pollution at bottom of main page) for more details.
It is up to you to act or you will have the consequences imposed on you. The regulators normally just follow government diktat.
Compiled 11 November 2007 by Dr. Dick van Steenis MBBS who has reports in 4 peer-reviewed medical journals.
GLOSSARY
COPD = Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease PCT = Primary Care Trust
IPPC = Integrated Pollution & Prevention Control CFS = Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
GMC = General Medical Council USEPA = USA Environmental Protection Agency
PAH = Poly-Aromatic Hydrocarbons ADHD = Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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