Summary By use of the postcoded database held by the Small Area Health Statistics Unit, cancer incidence of
over 14 million people living near 72 municipal solid waste incinerators in Great Britain was examined from
1974-86 (England), 1974-84 (Wales) and 1975-87 (Scotland). Numbers of observed cases were compared
with expected numbers calculated from national rates (regionally adjusted) after stratification by a deprivation
index based on 1981 census small-area statistics. Observed-expected ratios were tested for decline in risk with
distance up to 7.5 km. The study was conducted in two stages: the first involved a stratified random sample of
20 incinerators; the second the remaining 52 incinerators. Over the two stages of the study there was a
statistically significant (P