Landfill Poses No Significant Risk To Health, HPA Finds

10 August 2011

Well-managed landfill sites do not pose a significant risk to public health, was the message from a Health Protection Agency (HPA) report

Landfills are a part of "modern life" and health concerns stem from historic sites

The HPA has published a report looking at emissions from landfill sites and research on health effects posed by modern landfill sites and has concluded there is little risk to health for those living nearby.

The Impact on Health of Emissions from Landfill Sites study by toxicologists and environmental scientists from the HPA's Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards takes into account the latest advice from the independent Committee on Toxicity (COT).

"There are thousands of landfill sites all over the UK and because of that they are a part of modern life," said Andrew Kibble, a specialist in environmental public health and head of the HPA's Birmingham chemicals unit.

"Over the years some sites have generated public concern about the possibility of health effects, such as birth defects and cancer, from their emissions. The HPA takes such concerns seriously and our report considers published epidemiological studies on possible links between landfill emissions and health effects."

The HPA said it recognised that the practice of disposing of waste materials to landfill could present a pollution risk and a potential health risk. However, it said that concerns about the health effects of landfill sites often stemmed from historic sites, while modern landfills are subject to strict regulatory controls, which require sites to be designed and operated such that there is no significant impact on the environment or human health.

Kibble said: "We asked the independent expert Committee on Toxicity to review the results of levels of chemicals found at the boundaries of a number of landfill sites in a detailed monitoring programme commissioned by the Environment Agency as well as epidemiological studies. The committee concluded that there were no significant health concerns in relation to any findings.

"The HPA has concluded based on the current information on landfill sites, the available epidemiology, the Environment Agency's monitoring results and the COT's advice, that a well managed site does not pose a significant risk to human health."

The report also calls for more research into the potential impacts on health of emissions from closed landfill sites; improving exposure assessments around landfill sites and the impact of odours from landfill on the health of those living nearby.

Darrel Moore