SIR: The recent report of the Committee on Toxicity of chemicals in food (COT) has revealed that many people in the UK are already exceeding their Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of dioxin-like chemicals. Breast-fed babies are particularly vulnerable and receive up to 17 times the TDI through dioxins in their mothers' milk.

Exposure to more than 'tolerable' levels is by definition intolerable, yet, without any information on existing levels of dioxin in local people, Bolton Council have given planning permission to a proposal (Raikes Lane Incinerator) which seems certain to add to those levels. They have passed the buck for public health issues on to the Environment Agency, saying that emissions from the incinerator will be subject to 'constant monitoring'. However, there will be no constant monitoring for dioxins and the Environment Agency has been very secretive about excessive pollution from the incinerator in the past (BEN June 6).

Bolton Council are part owners of the company that runs the incinerator and it seems unlikely that they will be keen to criticise its operation. The Agency have developed a reputation for protecting industry rather than the public. So who is going to look after the interests of local people whose health is likely to be put at additional risk through this development?

Dennis Watson

For Bolton Friends of the Earth

Millgate, Egerton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.