Many people fear incinerator emissions

"Labour are clearly the party of incineration. Their waste policy compromises any attempts to appear green.

"They will suffer the political consequences of attempting to foist more than a hundred incinerators on an unwilling public."

In support of its indictment of Labour, Greenpeace points out that while government plans identify more than a hundred potential new incinerators, both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats favour a moratorium.

The report says people living near incinerators may be exposed to a range of toxic chemicals, by breathing in contaminated air, eating food which has been contaminated, or by skin contact with affected soil.

It says health problems linked to incineration include some forms of cancer, heart disease, birth defects, allergies and breathing problems.

Greenpeace says one study of 70 municipal waste incinerators in the UK operating between 1974 and 1987, and 307 hospital waste incinerators from 1953 to 1980, found a doubling in cancer deaths among children living nearby.

Mark Strutt said: "Not enough is known about the full toxic legacy of Britain's incinerators.

Problem displaced

"But the evidence compiled in this report makes it clear that it would be reckless for the government or any planning authority of good conscience to allow another incinerator application to go ahead."

Greenpeace says a typical incinerator releases a mixture of toxic chemicals, including dioxins, lead, cadmium, mercury and fine particles.

It rejects the argument that newer incinerators cause far fewer problems. While they may emit fewer compounds into the air, it says, these are simply transferred to the ashes.

Landfill sites are running out

The ashes, it says, are then dumped in landfill sites, where the chemicals can leak out, or are mixed into building aggregate.

The National Society for Clean Air (NSCA) says: "Dioxins and furans can be formed during the burning of any material containing carbon, where chlorine is also present.

High temperatures vital

"This includes coal burning, smoking, car exhausts and industrial processes, including incineration.

"These are very poisonous, and have been linked to cancer, so it is essential that incinerators operate at very high temperatures to reduce emissions to a minimum."

The NSCA told BBC News Online: "From a practical point of view, there's a huge amount of waste, and we're short of landfill sites.

"The amount of dioxins given off by a modern incinerator is very small, less than the pyres used for burning slaughtered foot-and-mouth animals.

"In our view, incineration is sometimes the best option."