May 27, 2008

New Moscow Incinerator - Health Issues Ignored



Moscow Incinerator, 27 May 2008. By Maria Antonova and Matt Siegel.
Extracts -
Click green-title for original article.

  • Dangerous materials not removed.

  • Public Officials don't understand health issues.

  • What you can not see is dangerous.


Moscow plans to spend $2.5 billion on incineration. Moscow already ranks among the world's most polluted cities.

Much of the opposition centers on the fact that there is no law mandating the removal of dangerous substances, such as batteries or aerosol, prior to incineration. This greatly increases the level of cancer-causing agents like dioxin and mercury.

  • Part of the problem is getting officials to understand the very real public health issues that exist even if the plants look safe.

Visitors expecting a post-apocalyptic hellscape might be surprised if they visit existing incinerators like the one near Lipina's home in Kozhukhovo. A peaceful landscape of trees, fields and hills surrounds the incinerator with its towering smokestack. It is not always what you can see that does the most damage, however. A 2008 study commissioned by

  • the French government concluded that people living downwind of an incinerator are 20 percent more likely to developer cancer than their peers.

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