Wednesday March 16th
Dioxins: waste incineration, the leading source of emissions in Ile-de-France
The incineration of household waste remains the main source of dioxin emissions in Ile-de-France despite a sharp decrease since 1990, according to a study by the Regional Health Observatory published Wednesday.
The pollution emitted by incinerators is "globally limited compared to emissions from urban and industrial activities", notes this study carried out in collaboration with the Institute of Planning and Urbanism of the Ile-de-France region (Iaurif) for the account of the regional prefecture.
But it still represents 25% of total emissions, add in a joint press release the Regional Health Observatory, Iaurif and the Prefecture.
However, a reduction of around 90% in the quantity of dioxins from the 19 Ile-de-France incinerators is expected in 2006, following the entry into force last December of the 2002 ministerial decree setting an emission threshold at not to exceed.
"The application of this threshold will cause in Ile-de-France an annual flow of dioxins resulting from incineration of the order of 2 to 3 grams, against around thirty grams previously", according to the press release.
In Ile-de-France, a majority of incinerators are located in dense agglomerated areas, some six million Ile-de-France residents, or 56% of the population, living less than five kilometers from a facility.
The study recommends limiting the increase in volumes incinerated in order to reduce polluting emissions at the source and to set up public health surveillance, in particular thanks to the cancer registry that will be installed in the region .
incinerators = dioxins = cancers = thank you gentlemen for these good incinerators with their good filters (same problems as for diesel particulate filters which allow micro-particles to pass through).