Need emissions expert on toxins in crematorium smoke

[Liberty Belle]

Journalist on short deadline. Public records request shows emissions levels from a crematorium under investigation. 100+ complaints.

I need an expert who can tell me whether any of these levels are red flags/dangerous to human health.

I'm no expert but two that jumped out as high compared to others on the page are Hydrogen Chloride (159.25 pounds/year) and mercury (12.46 pounds/her); rest were all less than 2 pounds per year.

Facility is located next door to a fast-food restaurant and is very close to homes. More than 100 complaints over the years but county only measured air once a few years back, and these were the levels.

Should anything have been done based on those levels? There is a question now regarding objectivity of the inspector back then, who may have had overly cozy ties with this business. New inspector wants to shut it down, finally...question is should it have been done back when these levels were detected, or is this considered safe emissions?

[rfranklin]

1. Don't inhale!

but it sure does sound repulsive to have homes and fast food outlets next door.

[Turbineguy]

2. You bring up some good points

And if the GOP gets its way on health care there will be a boom in crematorium construction. So it is a valid issue. Mercury is likely to drop though as my Dentist tells me it's used a lot less in dental fillings than before.

Decidedly odd though, having a crematorium next to a fast food restaurant. The acrid smell would put me off my food.

[MineralMan]

3. I'm curious. Which came first?

There's a crematorium/funeral parlor near me that's going to be in what was once a restaurant. It's isolated, but boy are the people nearby unhappy with the idea.

[BadgerKid]

4. There's an advertisement there that writes itself.

"You kill 'em, we grill 'em." Crude and gruesome, I know.

[MineralMan]

5. Well, I was just thinking about some guy who wants to open

a fast food joint. He's looking around for a place to build it and finds a space next to a crematorium.


Dude! Not a good idea.


I'm just dying for a great burger right now!

[closeupready]

6. There's a catering business near me which was a funeral home right before.

No way would anyone know if they weren't from around here, but I think of that every time I pass by. :puke:

[PVnRT]

7. The mercury is obviously a concern

I mean, it is mercury, after all. Twelve pounds per year, though, sounds awfully light (around 21 grams per day, assuming five working days per week). Then again, I don't know much about toxicity in air, and if it is close to a residential area, even that amount could cause problems. I imagine the mercury is coming from old tooth fillings before dentists switched to the new polymer stuff. Unfortunately, I cannot find any kind of hard and fast limit from EPA, which tends to state mercury emissions limits in terms of production or raw material feed, which is a bit....grisly.....for a funeral home.

Hydrogen chloride is the gaseous form of hydrochloric acid, so if it mingles with much water in the air, it will come down in acid form. This is obviously a bad thing, as if you breath in the fumes, they will turn to acid in your lungs immediately, causing severe burns if the concentration is high enough. It can also corrode a host of concrete and metals, again, if in high enough concentration.

It looks like crematories are considered "not significant" by the EPA, or lumped in with incinerators, and states handle them differently.