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Incinerators: Health Hazards

Asked by Stuart AndersonConservativeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 18 June 2026UIN 9672

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Environment Agency has made to determine whether emissions from incinerators have an adverse impact on public health in the last 25 years.

Answered by Emma Hardy

The Environment Agency consults the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), as the competent authority on matters of public health, on topics such as the impact of specific industrial activities. The UKHSA has reviewed recent evidence on the potential health effects from municipal waste incinerator (MWI) emissions. Its opinion is that modern, well run and regulated MWIs are not a significant risk to public health.

More information on the UKHSA’s opinion and evidence review can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/municipal-waste-incinerators-emissions-impact-on-health.

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