Saxongate raises health concerns over particle testing at Wisbech incinerator site
A Whittlesey group concerned about a large incinerator under construction in nearby Wisbech has raised concerns that the company behind it will not carry out the correct testing.
Saxongate Residents Group of Whittlesey has written to incinerator regulators, asking them to strengthen the proposed monitoring for the Medworth plant.
A report from the group suggests that while the remote air monitors will count particles, they do not currently include testing of what those particles contain or whether they build up in soil, crops, milk or meat.
The group say that the project’s own assessment noted that food-chain uptake may be the more significant pathway, yet no long-term testing is planned.
They are now concerned that the mega-incinerator currently under construction off Algores Way will not be monitored correctly.
The incinerator, operated by MMV, has been scrutinised for the lack of particle testing, citing a similar project in Paris which has shown dioxins, PFAs and heavy metals above EU safety guidance, in nearby school ventilation filters.
A spokesperson for Saxtongate said: “We are calling for simple checks. Set a baseline before the plant starts, test composition, not just counts, and keep monitoring for the life of the plant, not just four years.
“There is no indication that ash from Medworth will come to Whittlesey, but we believe robust monitoring of incineration risks can only strengthen our case and protecting crops from contamination is a matter for all of Fenland.”
Saxongate also say that a health risk assessment on the incinerator has “not been validated” with field data, and has questioned its reliability.
A report from the group added: “The most important long-term route into human health is therefore addressed only by modelling, never by measurement.
“This means such contamination is officially said not to happen at significant levels, but in practice, it is never checked.”
It adds that dust levels will reportedly not be monitored efficiently, as they will not show “what the dust is or where it comes from”.