More than 200 landfill sites across England and Wales have been earmarked to take hazardous waste.

It's thought that The Environment Agency will announce later today the locations of the sites, which will be given permission to handle hazardous waste.

Breakfast's Max Foster said in his report:

Hazardous chemical waste includes everything from clinical waste to asbestos and oil ... its usually mixed up with household rubbish and dumped in a landfill site. From 2004, though new European rules mean that hazardous waste has to go to a hazardous-only site...More than two hundred such sites have now been approved. A full list will be published by the environment agency this afternoon ... when one group of neighbours was told their local site was on the list, they said they would take the decision to the courts...the fear is dangerous chemicals will seep into groundwater or pollute the air... but the Environment Agency says its checked the sites and there's no need to worry

Click here to watch more on the story with Max

Max Foster was live on Breakfast at the Pilsworth North Landfill Site, in Bury Lancashire.

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LANDFILL SITES:

there are more 1000 landfill sites in England and Wales

all sites were given the option of whether to take more hazardous waste

222 took the option to take more hazardous waste

the Environment Agency says the changes will mean all landfill sites across the EU are classified in the same way

campaigners say the hazardous waste, which includes clinical and medical waste, oil and asbestos can cause birth defects, irritation to the skin and eyes and can be carried along to nearby neighbourhoods on the wind.

CAN LANDFILLS CAUSE HARM?

jury is still out on whether landfill sites with hazardous materials can harm unborn children or other harm.

according to one study published in the Lancet at the end of January 2002 the risk of having a baby with a chromosomal abnormality such as Down's syndrome increased by 40% for women who lived within two miles of toxic landfill sites.

The study - which looked at 23 sites in Britain, Denmark, France, Belgium and Italy - was criticised though by one expert who said it was unclear if the children had Down's because the mother lived near a toxic landfill or whether it was some other factor.

12 of the landfill sites were in Britain.

BACKGROUND ON LEGISLATION:

The Landfill Directive sets out a range of controls which must be applied to both new and existing landfill sites.

Whilst many of the Directive's requirements reflect those already in place in Britain under the Waste Management Licensing Regime, it will nevertheless introduce some key changes to current landfill practice, including:

1) The separation of landfills into three types: for only hazardous, non hazardous or inert waste - this will end the current UK practice of co-disposing of hazardous and non-hazardous waste by 2004. 2) The requirement to treat most wastes before landfill. 3) Bans on the disposal of certain wastes going to landfill for disposal including liquid wastes, certain hazardous wastes, and tyres. 4) Introduction of waste acceptance criteria setting out the types of waste that can be accepted at each of the three types of landfill.

Together these requirements will represent a major challenge to both landfill operators and waste producers who currently dispose of waste to landfill.