While many people fear incinerators, since they burn trash and have the potential to release toxins into the air, according to air pollution experts, there is nothing to fear. The Health Protection Agency looked at the most recent scientific evidence on the health implications of modern incinerators and found that if they are well run and regulated, they are not a significant threat to public health.

Although the report does concede that risk cannot be entirely eliminated, any health problems associated with modern well run incinerators are likely to be so small they are undetectable. Air pollution from incinerators in America makes up less than 1% of pollution, while industry and traffic account for almost half.

The study concludes that public health studies regarding the effects of individual incinerators on public health cannot be scientifically justified. This is particularly good news for anyone living near an incinerator.