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OYAL COMMISSION P ON ENVIRONMENTAL •OLLUTION : CHAIRMAN:SIRRICHARDSOUTHWOOD TENTHREPORT TACKLINGPOLLUTION-EXPERIENCE ANDPROSPECTS PresentedtoParliamentbyCommandofHerMajesty February1984 LONDON HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE £10.75net Cmnd.9149 PrintedimagedigitisedbytheUniversityofSouthamptonLibraryDigitisationUnit PreviousReports 1streport FirstReport Cmnd.4585February1971 2ndreport ThreeIssuesinIndustrial Pollution Cmnd.4894March 1972 3rdreport PollutioninsomeBritish EstuariesandCoastal Waters Cmnd. 5054September 1972 4threport PollutionControl:Progress andProblems Cmnd. 5780December 1974 5threport AirPollutionControl: anIntegratedApproach Cmnd.6371January 1976 6threport NuclearPowerandthe Environment Cmnd.6618September 1976 7threport Agricultureand Pollution Cmnd, 7644September 1979 8threport OilPollutionof theSea Cmnd. 8358October 1981 9threport LeadintheEnvironment Cmnd. 8852April 1983 ISBN 0 10 191490 3 PrintedimagedigitisedbytheUniversityofSouthamptonLibraryDigitisationUnit ROYAL COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION TENTHREPORT TotheQueen’sMostExcellentMajesty MayitpleaseYourMajesty We,theundersignedCommissioners,havingbeenappointed“toadviseon matters, both national and international, concerning the pollution ofthe environment; on the adequacy of research in this field; and the future possibilitiesofdangertotheenvironment”; And to enquire into any such matters referred to us by one ofYour Majesty’sSecretariesofStateorbyoneofYourMajesty’sMinisters,orany othersuchmattersonwhichweourselvesshalldeemitexpedienttoadvise: HUMBLYSUBMITTOYOURMAJESTYTHEFOLLOWINGREPORT. Ill PrintedimagedigitisedbytheUniversityofSouthamptonLibraryDigitisationUnit PrintedimagedigitisedbytheUniversityofSouthamptonLibraryDigitisationUnit CONTENTS CHAPTER I TheCommissionanditsTasks Para. Page OriginsandnatureofthisReport 1.1 1 TheRoyalCommission’srole 1.6 2 Whatis‘pollution’? 1.9 3 Theexperienceofthepastdecade 1.18 6 CHAPTER II AttitudesandRisks Introduction 2.1 9 Publicattitudestopollution 2.3 9 Someareasofrecentparticularconcern 2.6 12 Measuredrisksandperceivedrisks 2.15 16 Individualconcernandpublicresponsibility 2.20 19 Publicpressureandtheburdenofproof 2.26 20 Confidentiality Introduction 2.33 22 Thecurrentattitudeofindustrytodisclosureof information 2.37 24 Tradesecrets 2.41 25 Thepublic’scompetencetointerpretenvironmental data;thedangerofmisrepresentationand vexatiouslitigation 2.46 27 Administrativecosts 2.49 28 ‘Environmentalrights’ 2.50 28 Theeffectofsecrecyonriskperception 2.52 28 Auditingofpollutioncontrolauthorities 2.53 29 Thepresentposition:movestowardsgreateropenness 2.54 29 Confidentialityandnationalsecurity 2.68 34 Voluntaryco-operationversusstatutorycompliance 2.69 35 Conclusions 2.73 36 CHAPTERIII DomesticTraditionsandInternationalInfluences Introduction 3.1 40 GeneralcharacteristicsofpollutioncontrolintheUnited Kingdom 3.3 40 TheEuropeanCommunity’sinvolvementin environmentalpolicy 3.7 42 RIdaetoiloongailcealofdiUsnpiutteedinKtihnegEduormoppoelalnutCioonmmcounntirotlypolicies .. 33..1137 4458 Bestpracticableenvironmentaloption 3.27 53 Checksandsafeguards 3.40 58 Theenvironmentandthelaw 3.47 60 Thedirectingofenvironmentalpolicy 3.51 61 v PrintedimagedigitisedbytheUniversityofSouthamptonLibraryDigitisationUnit . . CHAPTERIV WaterQualityaroundtheCoast Para. Page Introduction 4.1 64 EstuariesandcoastalwaterslaBritain Specialcharacteristicsofestuaries 4.6 65 EstuarinewaterqualityinEnglandandWales . 4.8 66 TheMersey,Tyne,TeesandThamesestuaries . 4.14 70 EstuarinewaterqualityinScotland 4.20 72 Remainingproblems 4.22 72 TheControlofPollutionAct1974 4.24 73 Waterauthoritiesandthepublic .. 4.37 80 Prioritiesinthepresentfinancialclimate 4.45 83 Research 4.50 85 Bathingwatersandbeaches Introduction 4.52 86 Coastaldischargesofsewage 4.53 86 BOatthheirnpgowlaltuteironDiorfectthievecoa.s.t.line 44..5672 8917 Conclusions 4.67 93 Shellfishwaters 4.72 95 TheNorthSea 4.78 97 CHAPTERV AirQuality Introduction 5.1 110 Monitoring 5.7 116 J Indoorairquality Introduction 5.19 119 Radon 5.25 121 Formaldehyde 5.34 124 Asbestos 5.38 125 Combustionproducts 5.43 127 Conclusions 5.48 129 Motorvehicleexhausts Emissionsandtheireffects 5.53 130 Presentemissioncontrols 5.58 131 Futureemissioncontrols 5.63 133 Conclusions 5.69 135 Photochemicaloxidants 5.72 136 Aciddeposition 5.78 139 vi / PrintedimagedigitisedbytheUniversityofSouthamptonLibraryDigitisationUnit Para. Page Stratosphericozonedepletion Stratosphericozone 5.97 148 Ultravioletradiation 5.105 151 Theroleofchlorofluorocarbons 5.107 152 Conclusions 5.113 154 Carbondioxideandclimaticchange Carbondioxideintheatmosphere 5.115 154 Effectsofincreasedcarbondioxideconcentrations... 5.121 158 Conclusions 5.130 160 Atmosphereandenergy 5.133 161 CHAPTERVI FuturePolicyforPollutionControl Introduction 6.1 168 Progressandchange 6.2 168 Whatarethemainproblemsnow? 6.10 170 Pollutioncontrolinrelationtothecurrenteconomic climate 6.17 172 ‘Pollutionpreventionpays’ 6.22 173 Frameworkandguidingprinciplesforpolicy 6.30 176 CHAPTERVII ConclusionsandRecommendations Listofconclusionsandrecommendations 181 Acknowledgement 191 APPENDICES 1. MembersoftheCommissionduringtheperiodofstudyleading tothepresentReport 192 2. Organisationsandindividualscontributingtothestudy 196 3. TheCommission’sinitialinvitationforevidence,8December 1981 201 4. TheprovisionsofPartIIoftheControlofPollutionAct1974 notinforceat31 October1983 204 References 211 Index 224 vii PrintedimagedigitisedbytheUniversityofSouthamptonLibraryDigitisationUnit 1 FIGURES Page 2.1 Comparisonofriskperceptionsofdifferenthazards 18 3.1 Exampleofcapitalcostsofeffluenttreatment 47 4.1 Capitalexpenditure onwaterservicesinEnglandand Wales, 1920-81 83 4.2 Location of bathing waters in the United Kingdom identifiedunderDirective76/160/EEC 90 4.3 LocationofshellfishwatersintheUnitedKingdomdesignated underDirective79/923/EEC 96 4.4 Generalnear-surfacepatternofwatermovementsintheNorth Sea ... 100 4.5 Changes in the activity of caesium-137 in the North Sea, 1971-82 102 4.6 Estimated contaminant loads to the North Sea from major rivers:nutrients 103 4.7 Estimated contaminantloadstothetheNorthSeafrommajor rivers:metals 104 4.8 Estimated contaminant loads to the North Sea by different pathways 105 4.9 Estimated contaminant loads to the North Sea from the westernandeasterncoastlines 106 5.1 Smoke emissions from coal combustion and average urban concentrationsintheUnitedKingdom, 1960-81 11 5.2 Sulphurdioxideemissionsfromfuelcombustionandaverage urbanconcentrationsintheUnitedKingdom, 1960-81 112 5.3 Estimated emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons in the United Kingdom, 1971-81 115 5.4 RadiationexposureofthepopulationoftheUnitedKingdom 121 5.5 Theozonelayerintheatmosphere 148 5.6 Estimated annual global production of chlorofluorocarbons 11 and 12..... 150 5.7 Globalpoolsandannualfluxesofcarbon 155 5.8 MonthlyaveragecarbondioxideconcentrationsatMaunaLoa Observatory,Hawaii 157 5.9 Annual world carbon dioxide production from fossil fuel combustionandcementmanufacture 157 5.10 Worldcoalreserves 161 5.11 Energyconsumptionintheworldandselectedcountries, 1982 163 5.12 Total primary energy consumption 1980 and forecasts for 2000 164 5.13 Primary energy consumption in the non-communist world, 1965-82 165 viii PrintedimagedigitisedbytheUniversityofSouthamptonLibraryDigitisationUnit TABLES Page 2.1 Environmentalissuesraisedmorethanonceinoralorwritten evidencetotheCommissionin 1982 11 2.2 ConclusionsonenvironmentalprioritiesreachedattheRattvik Conference 1982 11 2.3 Numerical estimates ofrisks ofdeath from variousforms of travel 17 4.1 TidalriverqualityinEnglandandWales, 1970-80 67 4.2 Net changes in tidal river quality by water authority area, 1975-80 68 4.3 EstuarinewaterqualityinEnglandandWalesbywaterauthority area, 1980 69 4.4 NumbersofbathingwatersidentifiedineachMemberStatein 1980underthetermsofDirective76/160/EEC 91 4.5 EstimatedcontaminantloadstotheNorthSea 101 5.1 EstimatespresentedbytheCentralElectricityGeneratingBoard ofthecostsoftheoptionsavailableforreducingemissionsof sulphurdioxidefrompowerstations 146 5.2 Worldwidesalesofchlorofluorocarbons 11 and 12 152 5.3 EuropeanCommunitysalesofchlorofluorocarbons 11and12 153 ix PrintedimagedigitisedbytheUniversityofSouthamptonLibraryDigitisationUnit — INFORMATION BOXES Page InChapterII TheNationalFarmers’Unionstrawandstubbleburningcode 1982 13 Potentialusesofstraw 14 Some limitations to the public’s right ofaccess to information to whichpollutioncontrolauthoritiesarestatutorilyentitled 37 InChapterIII Priority areas for European Community action on the environment 44 . Termsusedinpollutioncontrol 49 The Department of the Environment’s key objectives for environmentalprotectionandwaterservices 62 InChapterIV Contents of Part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 Pollutionofwater 75 Timetableannouncedin 1982 forimplementationofPartII ofthe ControlofPollutionAct1974 78 Identification ofbathing waters inthe United Kingdom under the bathingwaterDirective(76/160/EEC) 89 Phaeocystis 92 InChapterV Smokeandsulphurdioxideconcentrationsinair 113 Effects in the United Kingdom of European Community directives regulating gaseous emissions from motor vehicles withpetrolengines 132 Photochemicalformationofpollutants 137 Chemistryofaciddeposition 141 x PrintedimagedigitisedbytheUniversityofSouthamptonLibraryDigitisationUnit