scientific scrutiny as public fears over air and water pollution increase.

Scientists from the Bermuda Biological Station for Research have been carrying out detailed studies of the sites, and so far they have been given a clean bill of health.

The work at the incinerator site has given access to information never seen before, marking a new frontier for environmental studies in Bermuda and enabling better-informed decisions to be made in the future.

Writing in the BBSR annual report, Dr. Kent Simmons said one area of concern was the emissions of heavy metals in to the atmosphere, which can be dangerous in high concentrations.

"People are worried about the stuff that's going in to the air from the incinerator,'' said Dr. Simmons. "They are worried about their rooftops, which collect their drinking water and their soil which fosters their gardens.

"We're there to make sure all of those environments retain the pristine quality we're used to in Bermuda.'' His report says that they have not yet found any significant levels of these emissions and are currently looking into possible future effects.

In the water itself, fears were expressed over the possible effects of heated seawater being returned to the sea on marine life, especially seagrass.

In comparisons with a control area, there were `no significant differences in seagrass communities', the report states.

Research into the use of ash blocks -- a by-product of the incinerator -- at the Airport dump needed more work, said Dr. Robbie Smith.

He added that metal leaching from the blocks -- set-up as breakwaters -- into the water at Castle Harbour was not `significantly higher' than that of concrete blocks.

"I hope that one of the main lessons from all our research is the need for better household management of waste. Even though the incinerator has shown no significant effects on the environment, we could always benefit from less trash and cleaner ash blocks,'' he said.