What emissions will be produced?
Modern energy recovery facilities such as the one planned are strictly monitored by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and comply with all applicable legislation including control of emissions. Operators must monitor emissions from the plant continually in real time and report results. NRW inspect facilities regularly and tightly enforces regulations. Public Health Wales (formerly the Health Protection Agency) believes that modern, well operated facilities are not a risk to human health. The latest scientific evidence on the health effects of modern incinerators was reviewed recently and the then Health Protection Agency concluded in its position paper (3rd September 2009), that any potential damage from modern, well run and regulated incinerators is likely to be so small that it would be undetectable.
A detailed air quality assessment has been undertaken to demonstrate that emission levels are safe and air quality objectives, set for the protection of human health and the environment will not be exceeded.
The ERF will include flue gas treatment in which gas emissions from the thermal treatment process would be cleaned and made safe before being released release into the atmosphere.
Once the ERF is operational, emissions to air from the Facility will be continuously monitored to comply with the requirements of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) (2010/75/EU).
http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/81987/
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) assesses risks to the safety of the food chain. Having carried out detailed assessments of applications for energy from waste plants as part of this regulatory role over a period of about 10 years, the FSA has concluded that properly run plants that are compliant with the requirements of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) will generally have a negligible impact on levels of contaminants in food.
The ERF will increase small particles in the environment (PM10s)
As opposed to open burning and wild fires, the ERF will use state-of-the-art emissions controls to capture and control particulate matter. Operating like a very efficient vacuum cleaner, the filters in the baghouse remove 99.5 percent of the particulate matter from combustion gases.