The toxic toll of waste incineration: measuring health and environmental impacts

The EU regulation of emissions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by waste incineration is limited to measure only a few chlorinated dioxins and furans.

Our webinar on “The toxic toll of waste incineration: measuring health and environmental impacts” discussed whether the current monitoring of “forever chemicals” is fit for purpose; and whether other chemicals, such as brominated dioxins and PFAS, should be included. It reflected the growing public awareness and concerns over the potentially toxic effects of POPs on human health and the environment. In particular, people living near waste incinerators need to be reassured about their health risks; about the safety of such combustion facilities; and about compliance with the EU regulation – not only under normal operating conditions, but also in other than normal operating conditions, such as start-ups, shut-downs, and periods of abnormal operation.

This online event also provided an opportunity for an open debate on the need to improve the legislation to assess the real impact of waste incineration on human health and the environment. It also unpacked the actions that could be taken, among others by the policy-makers, to limit incineration in line with the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan.

“The toxic toll of waste incineration: measuring health and environmental impacts” was organised and hosted by Zero Waste Europe in collaboration with Martin Hojsík, MEP.

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