A GROUP of health professionals have penned a letter to highlight concerns and the 'unaddressed' issues of potentially bringing an incinerator plant north of Carlisle.

The letter aims to raise awareness of the potential health issues associated with a large-scale incinerator burning waste at Kingmoor Park, before the public consultation ends.

The Environment Agency opened its public consultation on a draft environmental permit for the site in December, which is now due to close on January 27 - but have made clear that no decision has yet been made. 

In the letter, penned by Dr. John Campbell; Dr. Helen Davison; Dr. Bill McClay; and Mr. Gareth Palliser MSc, they raise concerns that the Environment Agency has failed to 'protect' local people, highlighting significant health issues associated with burning plastic such as an increase in nitrous oxides in the air (pollutants associated with respiratory illnesses) as well as an increase in cancer-causing dioxins.

Dr. John Campbell, a Carlisle resident who has dedicated over 44 years to the health profession, said the public consultation itself is a 'mockery', saying you would need specialist knowledge to be able to understand it.

READ MORE: Campaigners question why draft permit for incinerator plant 'withheld'

The letter states that the EA has not 'conducted a sufficiently robust risk assessment to protect our people and children'.

"The EA have no evidence that the criteria they use to assess pollution levels do not result in harm to the environment and individual health. We have a particular concern about the following dangerous pollutants that the incinerator would produce,” it reads.

"This incinerator will release micro-particulates. The smaller micro-particulates are of particular concern as they may pass through incinerator filters and also play a greater role in causing disease. Nitrogen oxides are associated with decreased lung function, increases in respiratory symptoms, asthma prevalence and incidence, cancer incidence, adverse birth outcomes, and mortality.

"Disappointingly, the EA intends not to even require the use of catalytic pollution reduction prior to the release of the fumes, even though it is within the powers of the EA to do so.  The EA appear to be happy to let these dangerous gases go into the air we breathe.”

The statement also highlights previous EA's findings which found elevated dioxin levels near UK incinerators back in 2007 - but claims the agency did no further investigation.

"We believe the levels of dioxins released from the Carlisle incinerator would harm health. Indeed, the developers have predicted dioxin intake for a child to be as much as seven times higher than the levels considered tolerable by the European Food Safety Authority.

"We can see no benefits from this plant that warrant the risks to human health and the environment it will bring during its 40-year lifetime and beyond. We call on the EA to protect our health, our children’s health and the health of future generations in Carlisle and around and not issue a permit for the incinerator,” the letter concludes.

The Environment Agency have said that a permit will not be issued if there could be a significant risk to the environment or public health. 

The body uses national evidence on the health effects of municipal waste incinerators, as published by DEFRA in 2004. It concluded that there was no convincing link between the emissions from MSW incinerators and adverse effects on public health in terms of cancer, respiratory disease or birth defects.

John Neville, area environment manager at EA said: "The Environment Agency will not grant a permit if there could be a significant risk to the environment or public health.

“All incinerator permit applications – including this one – are rigorously assessed, which includes consultation with the UK Health and Security Agency, which found no significant concerns regarding the risk to public health.

“We have held a public consultation inviting residents and interested parties to submit their comments on this application and we are currently holding a further consultation on proposals which will close later this month.”

READ MORE: Public consultation opens on draft permit for Carlisle incinerator