Polish pollution waiver puts health at risk, says HEAL

摘要

Campaign group the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) has hit out at a European Commission decision to grant Polish power plants more time to reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants, saying it puts the health of the public at risk. The Polish government had requested a three-year time extension under a so-called Transitional National Plan (TNP), which was given the go ahead by the Commission last week. In a 19 February statement, HEAL said it "fears" the waiver will contribute to higher rates of chronic disease such as asthma or heart disease, due to more air pollution from coal power generation.