Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 June 2004
24 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the fact that the building of municipal incinerators will increase the level of dioxins here, which are cancer causing, in view of the largest amount of airborne dioxins in Denmark comes from incinerators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15717/04]
View answerThe inventory of dioxin and furan emissions to air, land and water in Ireland for 2000 and 2010 published by the EPA in December 2002, provides a useful indication of the relative significance of various emission sources for dioxins.
In relation to the nine hazardous waste incinerators in operation in Ireland in the year 2000, the report estimated these to have contributed a fraction of 1% of national dioxin emissions to air — tables 1 and 4.2 of the report refer. Even assuming that 1 million tonnes of municipal waste might be managed by way of incineration in 2010, the report projects that dioxin emissions from waste incineration would account for less than 2% of total dioxin emissions to air at that time.
National and EU policy both recognise that thermal treatment, with energy recovery, licensed to the highest environmental standards, has a role to play as one element within the integrated approach to waste management, based on the internationally recognised waste hierarchy. The operation of such facilities in Ireland is subject to rigorous licensing by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Waste Management Acts 1996 to 2003, taking account of the requirements of the EU Incineration Directive which has been transposed into Irish law.
In addition, I draw attention to the report on the Review of Environmental and Health Effects of Waste Management: Municipal Solid Waste and Similar Wastes, which was published recently by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The study, inter alia, looked at cancer, respiratory diseases and birth defects and found no evidence for a link between the incidence of the diseases and the current generation of incinerators.
