Hearing to focus on mercury from crematorium

[Guest guest]

Hearing to focus on mercury from crematoriumBy Jeff StahlaThe Reporter-Heraldhttp://www.reporter herald.com/ Top-Story. asp?ID=13185A dispute between Larimer County’s largest funeral service and its newneighbors hinges on the dental health of the recently departed.Allnutt Funeral Service, which has funeral chapels in Loveland, FortCollins, Greeley and Estes Park, has sought approval from Larimer

Countyto build a crematorium at its newly acquired cemetery, Resthaven MemoryGardens. It would replace the crematorium the company now operates onRiverside Drive in Fort Collins.Residents in the neighborhood nearby the cemetery at Larimer County Road30 and U.S. 287 have protested the move, saying the crematorium will pumpunhealthy amounts of mercury vapor into the air. They also say the vaporwill hurt students at nearby Cottonwood Plains Elementary School and watersources such as Donath Lake.Mercury? While the heavy metal is not a normally occurring element in thehuman body, enough of it can get placed there in the course of anindividual’s lifetime to make it a cause for concern, residents say.

Thatmercury gets placed there by dentists, who use an amalgam containing themetal to fill cavities in teeth.As a vapor, it can enter the body as a neurological toxin, causing harm inboth the short term and cumulatively. When it falls from the sky intowater, it can get absorbed into fish and build up into potentially toxicamounts. Already, several reservoirs in Larimer County are under warningsbecause mercury from power plants and other sources has built up in nativefish.The Larimer County Planning Commission will hear concerns from theneighbors on Wednesday, but already a group has mobilized to protest themove. While many worry about the potential for mercury pollution, otherssee the crematorium hurting the property values of the area residences.“The stigma attached to a home next to a crematorium would be

the kiss ofdeath for its value,” said neighbor Sherry Baker in a letter to planningcommissioners.Doug Ryan of the Larimer County Department of Health and Environmentoutlined measures the crematorium operators could take to minimize theimpact of both mercury and other byproducts of cremation: using automatedcontrol panels, having a dedicated gas meter for crematoriums, requiringadequate training for the operators and designing the exhaust stacks sothey are at least 2 feet higher than any surrounding building.For Allnutt Funeral Service Chief Financial Officer Mark Griffith, thoseconditions are not only being met but exceeded. Not only does the funeralservice have the equipment called for, the operators are the only ones inthe area certified by a national organization.He sharply disagrees with other,

mercury-specific recommendations, however.A report by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environmentshowed that if the crematorium operated at its peak capacity of more than1,000 cremations a year, and if those cremated were at the upper end ofthe spectrum in terms of mercury filings, the resulting mercury pollutionwould exceed tolerances. Because of that, the state recommended thefuneral service add mercury scrubbers, at a cost Griffith estimates at$500,000, or pull teeth from those awaiting cremation. He said the secondoption would create undue emotional distress on grieving families.Griffith said the reality of the Allnutt operation pushes the mercuryoutput levels far below the threshold for concern.“We do 400 to 450 cremations per year,” he said, and those cremations haveless than half the mercury than calculated by the state in its “worst-casescenario.”He hopes residents and

commissioners will attend Wednesday’s hearing withan open mind about what the company intends to do and not have prejudgedthe issue based on numbers far beyond what is currently occurring.“I hope everyone will really listen to what we’re saying,” he said.For longtime residents, the battle against a crematorium at the site isthe second in nine years. The previous owners of the cemetery SCI ColoradoFuneral Service Inc., had asked the commissioners to approve a developmentplan that would have allowed a crematorium. In 1998, the commissionersdenied the request, citing concerns about compatibility with surroundinguses and environmental concerns.

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[Guest guest]

This is amazing. Who would think the mercury vapors

are still active in the dead? Ronda

--- Tim Campbell <jtcmpbl wrote:

 

>

>

> Hearing to focus on mercury from crematorium

>

> By Jeff Stahla

> The Reporter-Herald

> http://www.reporter herald.com/ Top-Story.

> asp?ID=13185

>

> A dispute between Larimer County’s largest funeral

> service and its new

> neighbors hinges on the dental health of the

> recently departed.

>

> Allnutt Funeral Service, which has funeral chapels

> in Loveland, Fort

> Collins, Greeley and Estes Park, has sought approval

> from Larimer County

> to build a crematorium at its newly acquired

> cemetery, Resthaven Memory

> Gardens. It would replace the crematorium the

> company now operates on

> Riverside Drive in Fort Collins.

>

> Residents in the neighborhood nearby the cemetery at

> Larimer County Road

> 30 and U.S. 287 have protested the move, saying the

> crematorium will pump

> unhealthy amounts of mercury vapor into the air.

> They also say the vapor

> will hurt students at nearby Cottonwood Plains

> Elementary School and water

> sources such as Donath Lake.

>

> Mercury? While the heavy metal is not a normally

> occurring element in the

> human body, enough of it can get placed there in the

> course of an

> individual’s lifetime to make it a cause for

> concern, residents say. That

> mercury gets placed there by dentists, who use an

> amalgam containing the

> metal to fill cavities in teeth.

>

> As a vapor, it can enter the body as a neurological

> toxin, causing harm in

> both the short term and cumulatively. When it falls

> from the sky into

> water, it can get absorbed into fish and build up

> into potentially toxic

> amounts. Already, several reservoirs in Larimer

> County are under warnings

> because mercury from power plants and other sources

> has built up in native

> fish.

>

> The Larimer County Planning Commission will hear

> concerns from the

> neighbors on Wednesday, but already a group has

> mobilized to protest the

> move. While many worry about the potential for

> mercury pollution, others

> see the crematorium hurting the property values of

> the area residences.

>

> “The stigma attached to a home next to a crematorium

> would be the kiss of

> death for its value,” said neighbor Sherry Baker in

> a letter to planning

> commissioners.

>

> Doug Ryan of the Larimer County Department of Health

> and Environment

> outlined measures the crematorium operators could

> take to minimize the

> impact of both mercury and other byproducts of

> cremation: using automated

> control panels, having a dedicated gas meter for

> crematoriums, requiring

> adequate training for the operators and designing

> the exhaust stacks so

> they are at least 2 feet higher than any surrounding

> building.

>

> For Allnutt Funeral Service Chief Financial Officer

> Mark Griffith, those

> conditions are not only being met but exceeded. Not

> only does the funeral

> service have the equipment called for, the operators

> are the only ones in

> the area certified by a national organization.

>

> He sharply disagrees with other, mercury-specific

> recommendations, however.

>

> A report by the Colorado Department of Public Health

> and Environment

> showed that if the crematorium operated at its peak

> capacity of more than

> 1,000 cremations a year, and if those cremated were

> at the upper end of

> the spectrum in terms of mercury filings, the

> resulting mercury pollution

> would exceed tolerances. Because of that, the state

> recommended the

> funeral service add mercury scrubbers, at a cost

> Griffith estimates at

> $500,000, or pull teeth from those awaiting

> cremation. He said the second

> option would create undue emotional distress on

> grieving families.

>

> Griffith said the reality of the Allnutt operation

> pushes the mercury

> output levels far below the threshold for concern.

>

> “We do 400 to 450 cremations per year,” he said, and

> those cremations have

> less than half the mercury than calculated by the

> state in its “worst-case

> scenario.”

>

> He hopes residents and commissioners will attend

> Wednesday’s hearing with

> an open mind about what the company intends to do

> and not have prejudged

> the issue based on numbers far beyond what is

> currently occurring.

>

> “I hope everyone will really listen to what we’re

> saying,” he said.

>

> For longtime residents, the battle against a

> crematorium at the site is

> the second in nine years. The previous owners of the

> cemetery SCI Colorado

> Funeral Service Inc., had asked the commissioners to

> approve a development

> plan that would have allowed a crematorium. In 1998,

> the commissioners

> denied the request, citing concerns about

> compatibility with surrounding

> uses and environmental concerns.

>

>

> Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you

> with Mobile. Try it now.

 

 

 

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