Health impacts of waste plans - FINAL - UKPHA 2008

8/14/2019 Health impacts of waste plans - FINAL - UKPHA 2008

1/16

Health impacts of waste plans:analysing strategic waste management options (SWMOs)

Salim Vohra and Liz GreenInstitute of Occupational Medicine and the Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit

UKPHA Annual Public Health Forum Presentation 1st- 2nd April 2008


2/16

Overview

Strategic Waste Management Options(SWMOs)

Health impacts: the evidence

Health impacts of SWMOs

Health impacts of spatial location offacilities


3/16

Waste plans and planning

Waste planning: is the identification and analysis of the waste disposal needs of a

population at local, regional or national levels,

Its also about the development of a network of wastemanagement facilities, identifying suitable sites and theintegrated operation of waste facilities.

Waste plans are the written outcome of the waste planningprocess.

Waste plans and planning therefore identify and developdifferent strategic waste management options involvingdifferent combinations of waste treatment and managementtechnologies and where they might be located.


4/16

Health impacts:

the evidence on untreated waste All waste whether classified as non-hazardous or hazardous:

biological (e.g. food, drink, animal remains); radioactive andchemical waste (e.g. domestic cleaning fluids, batteries, industrialchemicals, plastics) can be hazardous if not collected andmanaged appropriately.

The potential human health impacts associated with theaccumulation and decay of both non-hazardous and hazardouswaste can include for example:

emissions into the air, water and soil; odour; dust; an increase in pests and vermin; detraction from the visual aesthetics of the local environment;

impacts on greenspace; impacts on flora and fauna; fire hazard; infectious diseases (both directly and from transmission by, for

example, flies and rats); and chronic diseases e.g. pneumonia, diarrhoea, bronchitis.


5/16

Health impacts: the evidence for SWMOs

A number of cost-benefit and health assessments of strategic wastemanagement options have been done at regional and national levels.

A number of reviews of research have also been undertaken.

None of these demonstrates a clear best strategic waste managementoption from a cost, environmental or health perspective.

However, they all broadly agree that:

All SWMOs have strengths and weaknesses from an economic, social,environmental and health perspective.

All types of waste treatment facilities now and in the future are likely to haveboth some positive and some negative health and wellbeing impacts.

High rates of reducing, re-using and recycling waste are likely to form the core

of any good strategic waste management option.

SWMOs that are likely to have the lowest negative impact on health andwellbeing will have high levels of waste reduction, re-use, recycling andcomposting.


6/16

Health impacts:

the evidence on waste collection There is little research and evidence to date on the potential health and wellbeing

impacts of waste collection.

Research to date has focussed on the potential health impacts on waste workerswho collect waste.

Recently a number of studies have been undertaken to assess the potential impactof change in waste collection routine and the nature of waste collected

Positive impacts on health from: Employment Safe collection of waste for disposal

Negative impacts on residents: quality of life psychological: worry, annoyance and stress nuisance impacts from: odour, litter and possibly pests and vermin

Negative impacts on employees : from exposure to sharps (broken glass, needles, etc), biological waste and bioaerosols which could cause injury, eye and nose irritation, skin

problems, allergies and some infectious and chronic diseases e.g. pneumonia, diarrhoea, bronchitis


7/16

Health impacts:

the evidence on newer technologies

Pyrolysis Gasification

Autoclave

Anaerobic Digestion

Mechanical and biological treatment

Materials recycling facilities

Open air and in vessel composting

Waste transfer stations


8/16

Health impacts:

the evidence on incineration

Potential positive health impacts

The direct positive health impacts are: Employment Energy and heat from burning waste (combined heat and power) Safe disposal of waste

The indirect positive health impacts are: Stimulation of the wider economy through recycling and energy recovery Reducing climate change through reductions in greenhouse gases by offsetting

the need for fossil fuels, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and

reducing the amount of methane produced.

Potential negative health impacts The direct negative health impacts come from emissions into the air, water and soil:

The potential negative health impacts of these emissions that are identified inthe literature include: cancer; adverse, or changes, to reproductive outcomes(such as birth defects and an increase in twins); cardiovascular and respiratorysymptoms (such as difficulty in breathing and wheezing).

Adverse incidents and injuries (to employees) The indirect negative health impacts are:

Odour Noise Reduced quality of life, annoyance and nuisance Psychological e.g. concern, stress, worry, stigma Fire and explosion


9/16

Health impacts:

the evidence on landfills

Potential positive health impacts

The direct positive health impacts are: Employment Energy and heat from burning landfill gas Safe disposal of waste

The indirect positive health impacts are: No potential indirect positive health impacts.

Potential negative health impacts The direct negative health impacts come from emissions into the air, water and soil:

The potential health impacts of these emissions that are identified in theliterature include: cancer; renal disease; adverse, or changes, to reproductiveoutcomes (such as birth defects, low birth weight babies, infertility andmiscarriage); and general symptoms (such as headache, nausea, skin rashes,eye irritation and difficulties in breathing).

Adverse incidents and injuries (to employees) The indirect negative health impacts are:

Odour

Noise Pest and vermin Reduced quality of life, annoyance and nuisance Psychological e.g. concern, stress, worry, stigma Fire and explosion


10/16

Health impacts:

all waste facilities

Well designed, well managed and well regulated modernwaste facilities can have little or no negative health impactson local communities

The major negatives tend to be quality of life and importantnuisance impacts related to:

mental wellbeing from worry and concern about the facility

visual amenity noise odour vermin road traffic if that is the main transport link to and from a facility


11/16

Potential health impacts of SWMOs

Construction phase 2 positive impacts employment and economy; education and learning

5 negative impacts physical injury, mental health, transport and connectivity, lifestyleand daily routines, land and spatial

3 uncertain impacts social capital and cohesion, energy and waste, housing

Operational phase

2 positive impacts employment and economy, energy and waste

4 negative impacts physical injury, mental health, transport and connectivity, lifestyleand daily routines

3 uncertain impacts education and learning social capital and cohesion, land andspatial

Decommissioning phase 3 positive impacts mental health, social capital and cohesion, land and spatial

2 negative impacts employment and economy, transport and connectivity, lifestyle anddaily routines, land and spatial

1 uncertain impacts education and learning


12/16

Potential health impacts of the spatial location offacilities

Needs consideration at local level as actual locationsduring strategic planning are not known/agreed

Key parameters: Numbers of facilities

Size of facilities Waste vehicle road transport kilometres

Index of Deprivation is a good indicator of the generalhealth and wellbeing of the residents of an area and

can be mapped spatially

All other things being equal waste movement by waterand rail better than road


13/16

Potential health impacts continued

Wales 3 Regional Waste Plans Strategic HIA

No significant differences between urban and

rural areas apart from transport links

Not possible to identify any significant

differences between the Sub-Options within

the main SWMOs

Not possible to identify any potential

differences between waste regions


14/16

Conclusions: overall health impacts

At a national/regional level waste treatment facilities have a positive

health and wellbeing impact on society at large

At a local/neighbourhood level there are likely to be significant/importantnuisance impacts which are likely to have a minor-moderate negativehealth impact on health and wellbeing of residents living near a wastefacility (alongside the positive benefits that everyone is likely to share in)

Mental health and wellbeing effects due to residents concerns about thepotential negative effects of a waste facility, particularly incinerators,gasification and pyrolysis technologies are on balance the most importantnegatives

Given the gaps in the literature and some conflicting evidence there is

likely to be differences of opinion between community and professionalstakeholders (and between different professional stakeholders) which cangenerate significant conflict in the decision-making process


15/16

Conclusions: tensions between principles

Proximity vs Precaution

Best Environmental/Geotechnical Option vs

Environmental Justice


16/16

Conclusions: benefits of doing a strategic HIA

Strategic understanding of the potential positive and negative healthimpacts the national, regional and local positives need to be balancedagainst the largely local negatives health impacts.

Development of a set of mitigation and enhancement measures that canbe used to inform decision-making at both regional and local levels.

A resource for local authorities and primary care trusts/health boardswhen they start to consider site-specific health and wellbeing issues.

Gives regional and local waste planners a greater understanding of healthand wellbeing issues and impacts of what/where they are siting facilities

Demonstration and reassurance to local communities that health andwellbeing alongside sustainability issues are at the heart of strategicwaste planning and management.

Health impacts of waste plans - FINAL - UKPHA 2008

Documents

Transcript of Health impacts of waste plans - FINAL - UKPHA 2008