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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total amount of recognised carcinogens released to the air was (a) in England and (b) broken down by Government region in each year since 1997. [139191] Mr. Bradshaw: The National Atmospheric Emission Inventory (available on-line http://www.naei.org.uk/) compiles annual air pollutant emissions for the United Kingdom. The most recent year for which emissions have been calculated is 2001. Emissions of four known or probable human carcinogens are calculated: benzene, 1,3-butadiene, benzo[a]pyrene and dioxins. Table 1 shows the national annual emissions since 1997 taken from the National Atmospheric Emission Inventory. Emissions are generally calculated using statistics that are available on a national scale (e.g. fuel use). Inventory experts are gathering the regional information in order to undertake the complex process of calculating regional totals. So far, emissions for England have been calculated for 2001, but emissions for each Government region are not yet available. Table 1: UK emissions 1997 to 2001 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Units 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Benzene kt 35.8 31.7 28.7 15.7 15.4 1,3-Butadiene kt 7.3 6.4 5.9 5.1 4.5 BaP t 11.2 9.7 8.6 6.7 7.2 Dioxins gTEQ 471 411 395 346 341 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Table 2: England emissions for 2001 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Units 2001 Benzene kt 11.8 1,3-Butadiene kt 3.7 BaP t 6.1 Dioxins gTEQ 272 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Notes: 1. BaP = benzo[a]pyrene (a carcinogen in its own right and a marker for carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air; 2. The term dioxin refers to a range of polychlorinated dibenzo- p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran compounds. The emissions of dioxins are presented in terms of the sum of the weighted emissions expressed as gTEQs. TEQs weight the toxicity of the less toxic congeners as fractions of the toxicity of 2,3,7,8- TCDD, the most toxic congener.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

139191; 415 c521-2W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Air pollution Dioxins Benzene Carcinogens Butadiene Benzopyrene

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk