A copy of the North Wales Health Authority Report (November 1999) on the effect of burning Cemfuel and other wastes at Padeswood was sent to the CANK Webmaster by Castle Cement and is printed here in entirety, together CANK's response.

Repeats the same warnings we have seen from other authoratative sources, putting them in a very readable form.

Incineration by the Back Door - Cement Kilns as Waste Sinks
                An excellent Report combining the technical aspects of this issue with the human effects of Castle's Clitheroe plant.

Revamp of the Links page - with it's ever increasing size and complexity, a new Contents section has been added at the top of the page to aid navigation.

    Hotlink to Welsh MEPs added
            E-Mail most AMs by using the format: christian name.surname@wales.gsi.gov.uk
                    e.g.:    Rhodri.Morgan@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Public Meetings this week for Buckley and Penyffordd
Councillor Derek Darlington's Newsletter

At last, we have added just a sample of the many E-Mails we have received recently.

New Links
    American Lung Association
    Recycling and Disposal of Hazardous Waste Combustion in Cement Kilns
        A 1995 in-depth report - still highly relevant
       ' There is evidence that kilns which use hazardous waste fuel emit solid particulate matter and chlorinated
        dioxin  compounds at higher stack gas concentrations and in greater volumes than state-of-the-art
        commercial hazardous waste  incinerators, and that cement products and kiln dust from waste burning kilns
        contain higher  concentrations of these hazardous substances than from kilns which burn only conventional
        fossil fuels.'

    US National Research Council
    New Waste Incinerators Safer, But Some Emissions and Health Concerns Need Further Study
    Summary of an academic EPA funded study in 1997:
    'Some studies have shown, however, that workers at municipal-waste incinerators have been exposed to high
    concentrations  of dioxins and toxic metals, particularly lead, cadmium, and mercury'

17th March
    Links added for the Environment Agency in Wales and the UK           (With thanks to Trevor Eccleston)

        'We haven't hidden anything, except the plant which is in a dip and can't be seen from the road'

    The Chester Chronicle
    The Killamarsh letter is published which has prompted a separate report by The Chronicle

    'The principal criticism that can be levelled at the Regulators (HMIP 1993-March 1996 and Environment
    Agency April 1996-to present) is that they have consistently failed to appreciate the scale of the problem in
    relation to justified public complaints and have not acted to protect members of the Public'

DETR Report entitled 'Building a Better Quality of Life' (requires an Acrobat Reader)
        in which Castle Cement were praised  - see their Press Release)

    Interestingly, these two Reports were published within days of each other. The findings of the Peak Associates Report do
    not seem to sit well with the DETR's view.
    It is also worth noting that ISO 14001 referred to is, we understand, a management standard only and is set by
    the Environment Agency, itself.

    Letter
    'Kiln proposal puts wealth before health'
           'It seems to me that industry has no hesitation in risking human health for the sake of corporate profit.'

Children at risk from poisoned ash on paths - Article in The Guardian following up on Report we received in March on the disposal of incinerator ash in Newcastle.

Interesting new links added to The World Wide Fund for Nature and it's concerns about the contaminatiuon of the environment with endocrine disrupting chemicals

Links added:
Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee  - House of Commons Select Committee
Washington Toxics Coalition - a local group in Washington State in the US

    Guardian Online article and comment on the Government confirmation that it will build more waste incinerators.
    'Superficially, gaining electricity from burning rubbish is a good idea. But the toxic ash has to be disposed of
    and  the fumes produce dioxins and other toxic chemicals that can cause cancer. '

    House of Commons Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee
        Link to Full Report highly critical of the performance of the Envonment Agency (see Press Release above)

Links added to:
    All the principle UK broadsheet newspapers
    DETR Waste Strategy Document
    European Convention on Human Rights
              Check out Article  8

And Finally:
    "Although 130 giant incinerators may well be necessary in terms of national policy, in term of national politics
    they  constitute a pretty decent suicide note"

        "The high arsenic content of this ash was consistent with evidence from gardeners that no weeds have ever
        grown on the path for 10 years," says the report."

New Links to:
    To Newcastle City Council
         and Full Newcastle University Report on the Byker incinerator ash issue (requires Acrobat Reader)
    Liberty - the human rights organisation (in view of John Ellis' proposed appeal to that Court - see above).
    Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
        Independant advisory body to the Queen and Government
        In particular, check out their 2nd (1972); 11th (1985); and 17th (1993) Reports
        Also, their upcoming Energy & Environment Report
    The Green Channel: a focus for independant environmental groups.
        Take a look, especially, at:
        Environment Law Foundation
           A charitable organisation dedicated to advising and representing environmental campaign groups on a Pro Bono basis;
        European Environmental Bureau
            A group of 130 NGOs (Non-governmental organisations) from 24 countries dedicated to networking on environmental
           issues.

    IndependantArticle 4th June
    Editors join village battle against waste incinerator

    Date of Public Inquiry moved by one day to 11th October for 12 days (three working weeks) and confirmed.

Links Added
    US Environment Protection Agency
        Office of Solid Waste
           Hazardous Waste Combustion
           Risk Documents
        Dioxin Reassessment (basis for the draft report recently leaked to The Washington Post)
           Downloads of public information

   Dioxins
            Comprehensive Czech web site (in English!) with good links, concerned about the pollution of Prague, in particular
            from a proposed waste incinerator.
            See also link to the Liberac Incinerator opposition group in North Bohemia
                Worried not only about waste incineration but also that the proposed plant will NOT be up to date

    Vad's Corner
            Belgian Site, also in English, dealing with their recent dioxin scare but also providing a huge number of links to other
            Dioxin related sites.

        The Lancashire Evening Telegraph
           Inquiry call from valley residents

       Report
       The Chronicle
           Kiln protest taken to Number 10

       Press Release
           Excellent, uncompromising,  piece from the Mountfield Heritage Group addressed to Michael Meacher following
           publication of the  UK Waste Strategy document

Newspaper
        Letter
        The Evening Leader
        Incinerator proven to be dangerous
        Disturbing news of a possible new incinerator for Wrexham together with an interesting suggestion that encapulation
        would dispose of waste whilst avoiding pollution altogether.

Newspapers
       Letter
       Chester Chronicle 7th July 2000
       Risks to health affects us all

       Reports
       Chester Chronicle 30 June 2000
       Cement kiln protestors go to the top
            Downing Street protest

       Lancashire Evening Telegraph 5 July 2000
       IN THE CLEAR?
            Front page story following the suspension of the burning of Cemfuel at two of Castle's Ribblesdale kilns
           Related Editorial:-
           Lets clear the air over Cemfuel
           'this move brings a breath of fresh air to a row that has gone on since the firm  began burning the
             controversial fuel at Clitheroe in 1992'

      Clitheroe Advertiser & Times 6 July 2000
      Air Quality campaigners celebrate as burning of Cemfuel is stopped
            'the Environment Agency...stated quite categorically the it "currently considers Cemfuel is a hazardous
            waste"

           COMPARE THESE REPORTS WITH:
           Living within our means
           Castle Cement's recent advertisement and flyer distributed to homes near Padeswood

CANK
        July Newsletter to it's members, covering the pre-Inquiry meeting a few days ago and the recommended steps anyone
        concerned should now take, including a specimen part letter for those who wish to write directly to the Inspector.

Newspapers
    Letter
    Chester Chronicle
    No job is worth risk to health
        'perhaps he, or his employer can provide independant hard scientific evidence that confirms that there
        'would be no threat to health'.'

    Reports
    Chester Chronicle 21 July 2000
        Anger over cement works rap
           'a cement company....has accused critics of trying to close it's operation'

        Interesting comparison here with a report the week before in:

    Clitheroe Advertiser and Times 13 July 2000
        Castle Cement is ordered to pay £119,000 as it admits three offences of air pollution'
           'Castle Cement believes that it is the actions of a small number of local protestors, intent on closing the
            works'      (See also press statement by Blackburn, Hyndburn & Ribble Valley, Friends of the Earth)

        As I see it . . . by Vivien Meath
        We need to know whether Cemfuel is putting people's health at risk
            'it seems rather strange that Cemfuel was considered safe to burn on June 29th this year but, by European
            standards, not safe on June 30th!'

    Lancashire Evening Telegraph
         Editorial
        Doubts over pollution are not dispelled
            'What is now needed is for effort to be made by all sides to find a cure. Difficult that may be, as the judge
            suggested, but we do not believe it is impossible. And after all these years of controversy, a satisfactory
            conclusion is needed more than ever.'

           CANK Comment
            SURELY IT WOULD BE BETTER TO AVOID THE 'ILLNESS' IN THE FIRST PLACE THAN TO
            HAVE TO LOOK FOR A 'CURE'!

        Cost of policing firm is £250,000
            'The court heard that 400 to 500 complaints were received each year by the Agency from local residents.
            Between  April 1998 and May 2000 1,105 complaints had been received.'

Newspaper
        Chester Chronicle
        'Castle Cement's...plan...has met massive opposition from people worried about health risks' (Chronicle)
        Four angry letters this week, three of them responding to last week's article: Anger over cement works rap
        Kiln firm's 'friendly' policy questionable
           'In common with its existing operation at Padeswood, Castle's propaganda stinks'
        Motivated by Profit
           'Has Castle Cement's Padeswood plant manager Tony Allan lost the plot?'
        Concerns over Health
           'As a spokewoman for Phoenix I cannot let the comments in your article of July 21 go unchallenged.'
        Concern over health does not amount to scaremongering
           'No one has mentioned closing Castle other than Mr Allan himself '

    Letter
           Kiln proposal violates our human rights
           'The question is, will the inquiry or the Assembly veto Castle's plans as a potential violation of Article 8?'

New Link
           North Kildare/South Meath Alliance Against Incineration
          Campaign group in Co Kildare, Ireland who, we understand, have recently had an application for a hazardous waste
          incinerator turned down by the local authority.

    Clitheroe Advertiser & Times
        Letters (27th July 2000)
          Plea for health survey support turned down
            'Cancers in one street in Clitheroe are unlikely to be due to emissions from Castle Cement'

        Daily Express (17th August 2000)
        Luxury ice cream maker is linked to risk of cancer
            'There is nothing we can do about the levels of dioxins in our ice cream........The pollutants are largely
           created by incinerating waste, metal smelting and vehicles.

       The Chronicle (18th August 2000)
        Job loss claims by campaign
        'Castle admit a new kiln would mean 33 fewer jobs on-site and 100 fewer at the company's other plants'.
          CANK Comment
            This puts Castle's much repeated claims that campaigners 'scaremongering' is putting jobs at risk, into perspective

        Landowners oppose cement development
           'Members fear it will spew health-threatening dioxins and heavy metals in to the atmosphere.'

Copy Letter from Friends of the Earth Clitheroe
A response to Castle Cement's letter last week
        'Our aim is to warn others of the dangers at a time when they, unlike us, may be able to prevent it.'

Newspaper
        Letter
        Chester Chronicle
        Controversial incinerator over the border will have far-reaching effects on us all
        Letter from a concerned Chester resident living over 10 miles from the Castle Cement plant

    The Chester Chronicle
    Poster campaign rams home anti-kiln message
    'it is reckoned one person in 15 in Penyffordd and Penymynydd backs plans for a waste-fired kiln on their
    doorstep'

Read a summary of each day's events
Timetable

Newspaper
    The Independant on Sunday
    Reporting of the disposal of Belgian dioxin contaminated chicken carcasses in French cement kilns
        Seems this makes the French conscious importers of dioxin!!

Public Inquiry
Although only half completed, the 12 days originally allocated have been used. Three further days have been allocated next week. Proceedings will then be adjourned until a time suitable to all parties can be found in either December or the New Year.
Best estimates are that a further two weeks will be needed then.

Public Inquiry
Following the enforced absence of the Webmaster, through business commitments, significant updates to the Public Inquiry Briefings taking the reports to Day 15 (22nd November), have been added. These include the cross examination of Dr Roberts, North Wales Area public health consultant.

Further Briefings will follow as soon as possible.

Also available are extracts from a letter written by Dr Roberts to the Environment Agency in September 2000 and now on the Public Register, seeking clarification on various points including 'what is pulverised fuel ash'.
Important details one might have expected to have been cleared up BEFORE he wrote his controversial November 1999 Report.

NOTE: The Inquiry Schedule has been substantially amended
       The  intention is to complete the giving of evidence and cross examination by Christmas leaving the Closing Statements
            to a date to be arranged, probably in mid-January.

Penyffordd Public Meeting December 7th

Newspapers
    Reports
    The Chronicle, Chester Edition (24th November)
    Kiln plans are straight BANANAS
        'The only safe emission limit for these dioxins is absolute zero'
    The Daily Post (November 24th)
    Cement firm fined after two workers suffer burns
    The Guardian (November 29th)
    Watchdog admits ignorance of incinerator health risks
        'The environment agency admitted yesterday to MPs that it had no idea how dangerous Britain's new
        generation of incinerators will be to public health.'

The Evening Leader (December 7th)
    Tories pledge to fight kiln
        'People feel betrayed by their elected representatives in County Hall, Cardiff and Westminster'
    The Chronicle, Mold & Buckley Edition (8th December)
    Kiln would be 'danger to health'
        'We are now satisfied that the potential health implications are significant and, with the full support of the
        Conservative Party prospective parliamentary candidates in every constituency bordering Alyn & Deeside,
        call on you to refuse planning approval.'

    Letters
    The Chronicle, Mold & Buckley Edition (17th November)
    Kiln Challenge

Links Added
Burned: The Life & Times of Spokane's Incinerator
           A very interesting article, on the Toxic Alert site in the USA, on the realities of opposing a waste incinerator.
           However, of particular relevance to Padeswood, is the section entitled 'Dangerous Liasons' and the
           references there to Dr Kathryn Kelly.
           A revealing insight into the expert Castle Cement chose to endorse it's case that the new kiln is safe.
           See also a search of the Spokesman Review website archive 1990-2000 (the paper that originally broke the story).

Our Stolen Future
An excellent site (whose title is based on the best selling book) devoted to the impact of  endocrine disrupting chemicals.
With new stories breaking all the time it is worth revisiting regularly or have Netmind (see the site) tell you when something is added.
Amongst reports featured recently are:
        Sweden applies the precautionary principle to persistent, bioaccumulative materials
        Low Doses of Common Chemical have Science in a Quandry (Chicago Herald Tribune)
        Background exposure to PCBs impare imune system function
        PBB exposure affects the age of puberty in girls
        PCB exposure in the women degrades sperm quality at sexual maturity

News Reports
Guardian (14th December)
Planning Law falls foul of Human Rights Act
Ground breaking decision by the High Court which declares UK planning law incompatible with European legislation and removes the Environment Secretary' right to rule on Planning Inquiries.
It is thought likely that this decision, which would have a profound impact on the way Inquiries can be conducted, will be appealed to the House of Lords in the near future.

Guardian (15th December)
Incinerator Firm Faces Charges over Toxic Waste
Those responsible for the Byker Incinerator ash scandal are to be charged.

For more information, like to add your own views, or if you have any further web links you would like us to include,  please email us at: feedback@cank.org.uk .