Visit the following link for insight on recent medical evidence of how wood smoke kills and the grave risk sub 2.5 micron particles along with other toxins present to the most vulnerable, especially children:
Toxins/Poisons not listed by ORCAA, Adage, and Simpson include radioactive Cesium, Mercury, Dioxins, and sulfur dioxide. Some that ARE listed include fine particles (2.5 microns and less) that will amount to tens of tons annually suspended in the air column for long durations and difficult if not impossible to remove from the emissions stream.
Dioxin – Mercury – Cesium The amount of radioactive Cesium that will be discharged amounts to 100X the maximum allowed from existing nuclear plants. Yet it doesn’t appear on any permit applications for the pending BioMassacre and ORCAA has not implemented any monitoring/detection methods.
Wood ash is highly radioactive with Cesium & Strontium from atmospheric nuclear tests.
ORCAA admits no sensors will be installed at the stack for monitoring Dioxins despite the dissembling to the public on the anticipated amounts by profiteers such as Eric Hanswen, principal at Envviron, an environmental consulting company employed by Simpson timber company. (“Our calculations right now are showing .000005 pounds per year [of dioxin released], said Eric Hansen at a public information meeting held by Shelton City officials to answer questions about a proposed bioincinerator to be placed in downtown Shelton on 9-23-10). That’s about 6 – 7 orders of magnitude lower than that hazarded by an ORCAA engineer. When contacted for a verifiable source of such data, an Environ employee could not provide it. An inconvenient truth was again hidden from the view of residents.
Debunking Waste to Energy – Cesium, Mercury, Toxins and Development
BioMassacre Resistance in Michigan
Health Effects from Burning BioMass and Coal
No Monitoring for Mercury, Arsenic, Chromium, Dioxin, Cesium
WI Sierra Club Makes Pact With the Devil
Smoke Source Differentiation Analysis & Hg Content
BioMass CO2 Neutrality Canard Exposed
Wood Smoke produces from 10 to 167 milligrams of highly carcinogenic dioxins per kilogram of fuel burning (Abelson). Wood burning is responsible for about 3 percent of the total suspended particulates, 6 percent of the total carbon monoxide, and 51 percent of the highly carcinogenic polycyclic organic matter produced by all US sources (EPA, 1986). Simple calculations reveal that’s on the order of 10,724 pounds (5.36 tons) to 179,091 pounds (89.5 tons) per year of dioxin. Adage (ignoring Simpson for the moment) alleges they will be emitting a ‘mere’ 97 tons/yr of PM2.5, 98 tons/yr of PM10, and 100 tons/yr of PM. That’s roughly 300 tons/yr of various PM particulates.
Even giving Adage (and by implication, Simpson) the benefit of the doubt by reducing my calculations proportionately still shows Adage and Simpson reps are gulling the public and our regulatory agencies. e.g. 5.3 pounds/yr to 89 pounds/yr of dioxin assuming the self serving rose colored figures submitted by these companies were even distantly realistic based on their own numbers of particulates to be released.
That’s not to say, in truth, that far (by orders of magnitude) greater amounts of dioxin would not be released. I’m simply giving the most charitable analysis based on the assumption the dioxins would be attached to the particles released into the air. It’s entirely possible the dioxins could be released as vapors INDEPENDENTLY from attachment to the surface area (very extensive!) of the particles (PM) themselves.
In any event, Mr. Eric Hansen’s representation to the public stating, “Our calculations, right now, (how about tomorrow?) are showing .000005 pounds per year (of dioxin released)”, cannot be relied on because it was a crass attempt to dissemble to and mollify the public. If these companies are willing to be so disingenuous on such a critical and dangerous poison, why would they tell the truth about ANY representation they make? And why are our city/county/port officials choosing to believe them without verification or any plans to monitor these toxins (e.g. Dioxin, mercury, cesium, strontium, arsenic) at all?
The dirty truth is even without these exorbitantly deadly compounds, the PM emissions themselves are guaranteed to harm public health, shorten lifespans, inflict suffering, and visit chronic diseases on residents. Medical experts have repeatedly warned there is NO ‘safe’ level of PM exposure. The more you breathe, the shorter your life expectancy–a similar mechanism to smoking cigarettes. But we can choose not to smoke. We can’t choose not to breathe what’s being crammed down our throats.
Iowa Residents Discuss Biomassacre
BioMass Emissions Table & HCN (cyanide)