No Proof of No Harm – A Citizen Science Investigation (CSI)
Do you know that wood dust is a group 1 carcinogen since 1995? And that wood dust is classed as a carcinogen to workers, but a nuisance to residents living next door? And that the government say the majority of waste wood is too contaminated for recycling applications, yet it’s being incinerated to generate Bioenergy (electricity) to keep the lights on? Do you know that waste wood is contaminated with heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and nickel? Also brick dust, paint flakes, textile fibres, glass pieces, plastics, silica and more?
Several communities across the UK with similar health issues, have linked up via social networking and investigated the waste wood recycling and processing industry, which confirms that the regulators (the Environment Agency), do not chemically analyse or quantify the contaminated waste wood emissions, and yet say there is no proof of harm.
Our investigation has highlighted Health & Safety concerns for workers exposed to waste wood processing activities which generate significant amounts of airborne wood dusts, with exposure levels up to 30 times the WEL (Workplace Exposure Limit). And with a fire a day in the industry, it’s a risk to firefighters too.
We invite you to read NO PROOF OF NO HARM – A CITIZEN SCIENCE INVESTIGATION and feedback to us what YOU think.
© Ask questions http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/09/0929_questions_for_leaders/1.htm
Do YOU have any questions we can add?
What do YOU recommend to protect communities, workers and the environment from the waste wood recycling and processing industry with a ‘scarcity of data’ and ‘substantial discrepancies’ of COSHH regulations?
We are the history of waste wood recycling and processing, there is NO PROOF OF NO HARM.
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This post is from Communities Against the Maladministration of Environmental Legislation and is being hosted on the Breathe Clean Air Group website. BCAG is not responsible for the content of the report and/or appendices. For all queries and comments about the content of the report and/or appendices, please contact CSI@bcag.co.uk. If you have any difficulties accessing and/or downloading any of the documents, please email website@bcag.co.uk.
Policy-makers and regulators have failed to take any measures to protect communities from wood dust, and have failed to commission any studies into the wider health effects of wood dust on residents exposed to it. Communities therefore have little choice but to do the research themselves, and to campaign for a regulatory system that prioritises community health and well-being over corporate profits. As the UK burns more and more wood in its power stations, more communities will be forced to live next to wood processing infrastructure and be exposed to the impacts of wood dust, noise and fire risk. Well done MEAG for working so tirelessly to protect your community.
It is important that the Environment Agency gives serious considerations to the concerns of local people. As can be seen from the number of fires at waste sites, the Environment Agency lacks the resources to properly regulate waste management activities. The EA needs to get tougher on violations, regulation should entail more monitoring and stricter standards, the EA should carry out more inspections, be more transparent about their activities, and do a better job of engaging with waste campaigners.