It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Defra manages an active programme of research to support the health and welfare of livestock. The research programme focusses on prevention and control of infectious diseases as well as covering animal welfare issues. There is no current research funded on electro-magnetic waves and their potential impact from this programme.

Defra does have a regular, consistent systematic process for identifying and assessing new threats to animal health and welfare through the Veterinary Risk Group and the issue has not been raised which could inform future research requirements.

The Department is investing over £1 billion a year in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR supports a wide portfolio of research on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through various funding streams. In the United Kingdom, investment includes £32 million of capital funding to support AMR research, £19.1 million for AMR research at four NIHR Biomedical Research Centres, and £8.8 million for two NIHR Health Protection Research Units on Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance.

The NIHR also supports research into AMR in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), with official development assistance (ODA) funding through the NIHR Global Health Research programme. Investment includes support for the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Genomic Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance, and the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Genomic Surveillance of Malaria in West Africa.

Working through partnerships with other UK funders, the NIHR Global Health Research programme also supports cross-Research Council initiatives including one led by the Medical Research Council for research into AMR in a global context, and another led by the Economic and Social Research Council to expand understanding of how behaviour within and beyond the healthcare system impacts on AMR.

In addition, the Department has allocated over £50 million of ODA over five years to AMR research through the Global AMR Innovation Fund. This research is delivered through a range of mechanisms and delivery partners, including research councils such as the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Innovate UK, and international partners including the Wellcome Trust, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States and German governments, and Canada’s International Development Research Centre.

Public Health England (PHE) has funded a study to further extend the evidence base on municipal waste incinerators (MWIs). The study found that emissions of particulate matter (PM₁₀) from MWIs are low and make only a small contribution to ambient background levels. The report is available at the following link:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.6b06478

No evidence was found of a link between exposure to PM₁₀, which includes PM_2.5, PM₁ and PM_0.1 emitted from MWIs and infant mortality, or the other birth outcomes investigated. Further information is available at the following link:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.10.060

The latest paper found no increased risk of congenital anomalies from exposure to PM₁₀ emissions, however living closer to the incinerators was associated with a very small increase in risk of some birth defects. As acknowledged by the authors, this finding may be because the study could not fully adjust for factors such as other sources of pollution around MWIs or deprivation. The report is available at the following link:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019308104

PHE’s position remains that well run and regulated modern MWIs are not a significant risk to public health. PHE will review its advice in light of new substantial research on the health effects of incinerators published in peer reviewed journals. To date, PHE is not aware of any evidence that requires a change in their position statement. This statement can be viewed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/municipal-waste-incinerator-emissions-to-air-impact-on-health

The Department has supported research in relation to concerns that there might be adverse effects from exposure to the low levels of radiofrequency radiation, or radio waves, from mobile phones and base stations.

The independently managed Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme ran from 2001 until 2012 and funded 31 projects, leading to over 60 publications. Information about the MTHR programme and the studies it supported can be found at the following link:

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/*/http://www.mthr.org.uk/

MTHR research has considered symptoms in relation to the skin and the eyes. None of the research supported by MTHR has demonstrated that biological or adverse health effects are produced by radiofrequency exposure from mobile phones or base stations.

The Department continues to support research on exposure to radio waves, including the ongoing Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health (COSMOS) and the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phone studies (SCAMP) at Imperial College London. Information about these studies can be found at the following links:

http://www.thecosmosproject.org/

http://www.scampstudy.org/

The Department has supported research in relation to concerns that there might be adverse effects from exposure to the low levels of radiofrequency radiation, or radio waves, from mobile phones and base stations.

The independently managed Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme ran from 2001 until 2012 and funded 31 projects, leading to over 60 publications. Information about the MTHR programme and the studies it supported can be found at the following link:

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/*/http://www.mthr.org.uk/

MTHR research has considered symptoms in relation to the skin and the eyes. None of the research supported by MTHR has demonstrated that biological or adverse health effects are produced by radiofrequency exposure from mobile phones or base stations.

The Department continues to support research on exposure to radio waves, including the ongoing Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health (COSMOS) and the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phone studies (SCAMP) at Imperial College London. Information about these studies can be found at the following links:

http://www.thecosmosproject.org/

http://www.scampstudy.org/

Public Health England (PHE) has published a webpage about exposure to the radio waves from mobile phone base stations, including those for 5G networks, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-phone-base-stations-radio-waves-and-health/mobile-phone-base-stations-radio-waves-and-health

This explains the health-related reviews and assessments have been performed, as well as the practical measures that are in place to protect public health.

PHE advises that the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) should be adopted and there is no convincing evidence that radio wave exposures below the ICNIRP guideline levels cause adverse health effects. The guidelines apply to exposures at frequencies up to 300 GHz, well above the maximum few tens of GHz frequencies anticipated for use by 5G systems.

Health and safety legislation requires companies deploying and operating communication networks to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments, as well as put in place measures to reduce the identified risks so far as reasonably practicable. In controlling risks arising from radio wave exposure, the Health and Safety Executive refer to compliance with the ICNIRP guidelines. Industry has committed to comply with the international guidelines and to provide certificates of compliance with planning applications for base stations.

PHE continues to monitor the health-related evidence applicable to radio waves, including in relation to base stations, and is committed to updating its advice as required.

Public Health England (PHE) has published a webpage about exposure to the radio waves from mobile phone base stations, including those for 5G networks, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-phone-base-stations-radio-waves-and-health/mobile-phone-base-stations-radio-waves-and-health

This explains the health-related reviews and assessments have been performed, as well as the practical measures that are in place to protect public health.

PHE advises that the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) should be adopted and there is no convincing evidence that radio wave exposures below the ICNIRP guideline levels cause adverse health effects. The guidelines apply to exposures at frequencies up to 300 GHz, well above the maximum few tens of GHz frequencies anticipated for use by 5G systems.

Health and safety legislation requires companies deploying and operating communication networks to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments, as well as put in place measures to reduce the identified risks so far as reasonably practicable. In controlling risks arising from radio wave exposure, the Health and Safety Executive refer to compliance with the ICNIRP guidelines. Industry has committed to comply with the international guidelines and to provide certificates of compliance with planning applications for base stations.

PHE continues to monitor the health-related evidence applicable to radio waves, including in relation to base stations, and is committed to updating its advice as required.

Recent assessments have been undertaken of the health effects of long-term exposure to the air pollution mixture in the United Kingdom, but no separate assessments of the impact of PM1 and PM0.1 components (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 1 or 0.1 microns respectively) of particulate air pollution have been produced.

Public Health England (PHE) undertakes various air quality research projects, working with academic partners, to review the evidence of the health effects of air pollutants. In particular, regarding the health effects of PM0.1 and PM1, PHE has a research program that looks at various aspects of the health effects of PM0.1 (nanoparticles) through the inhalational route mainly focussed on manufactured materials. However, PHE has no plans to engage in work on the effects of PM1 particles on human health over the coming year.

The Air Quality Expert Group Report on ‘Ultrafine Particles in the UK’ summarised current knowledge on the levels, sources and characteristics of ultrafine particles in the United Kingdom air; the report can be viewed at the following link:

https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/reports.php?report_id=968

An assessment on the potential health impacts of ultrafine particles was beyond the scope of this report.

Reviews by the Health Effects Institute and World Health Organization of the effects of different components of air pollution, including ultrafine particles (PM_0.1), concluded that there is currently limited evidence on the effects on health of ultrafine particles. These reports are available to view at the following links:

https://www.healtheffects.org/publication/understanding-health-effects-ambient-ultrafine-particles

http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/193108/REVIHAAP-Final-technical-report-final-version.pdf?ua=1

Public Health England has no plans to engage in work on the effects of ultrafine particles on human health in and outside the vicinity of incinerators.

Paragraph 15 of the report ‘The Impact on Health of Emissions to Air from Municipal Waste Incinerators’ refers to ultrafine particles. The report can be viewed at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384592/The_impact_on_health_emissions_to_air_from_municipal_waste_incinerators.pdf

Since this report, the reviews by the Health Effects Institute and World Health Organization of the effects of different components of air pollution, including ultrafine particles (PM_0.1), concluded that there is currently limited evidence on the effects on health of ultrafine particles. These reviews can be viewed at the following links:

https://www.healtheffects.org/publication/understanding-health-effects-ambient-ultrafine-particles

http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/193108/REVIHAAP-Final-technical-report-final-version.pdf?ua=1

Recent assessments have been undertaken of the health effects of long-term exposure to the air pollution mixture in the United Kingdom. This work estimated that long-term exposure to the man-made air pollution mixture in the UK has an annual effect equivalent to 28,000 to 36,000 deaths. This was based on studies reporting associations of mortality risk with fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), which includes PM_0.1, and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). These documents can be viewed at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nitrogen-dioxide-effects-on-mortality

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nitrogen-dioxide-effects-on-mortality