Here are excerpts from the rare newspaper article we found from The Star, regarding the incinerator and the toxic air it spews. There’s much to gleam from this 1 minute read, published a year after it started operating.
“York and Durham regions issued a certificate of acceptance that gave Covanta approval to operate the incinerator commercially and process up to 140,000 tonnes of household waste each year.”
Whoa, wait a minute, this facility is 100% owned by both York and Durham regions, it says so right on the front page of their website. Slam dunk, it’s gotta be really easy to issue a certificate of acceptance, right? How is this acceptable?
Exceeding safe limits of toxic air:
“Covanta, the company running the $289-million Durham York Energy Centre in Clarington, reported to the region that emissions from one of the two boilers at the plant exceeded the limits set by the Ministry of Environment for dioxins and furans by almost 12 times. Dioxins and furans are toxic byproducts that can result from burning waste.”
How harmful are dioxins and furans? The article goes on to say:
“Chief medical officer of health, told staff in an email obtained by the Star that the “sustained excessive emissions of dioxins and furans are a potential human health hazard, primarily by entering the food chain.”
Here’s what the Star helps us to understand:
“An email discussion between staff and Dr. Robert Kyle, the chief medical officer of health, Kyle called the test results “alarming” and expressed concern that the risk to humans was not through “inhalation but through ingestion” of dioxins and furans.
Many people far and wide are affected by these toxins, because we grow and export food in the farmlands surrounding the incinerator.
The main human health pathway of concern is ingestion, not inhalation,” said Kyle. “To this end, it is important for the local food chain to be protected by lowering dioxin and furan stack emissions and more frequent independent stack testing.”
The article clearly says that testing keeps failing acceptable levels.
“Clarington Councillor Joe Neal said his community is largely rural, and many fruit and vegetable farms are in the vicinity of the incinerator. “I don’t think the things should have been approved in the first place, given these outstanding concerns,” he said.”
Now what do we do?
1. We must demand a full environmental assessment now.
2. We need Clarington Council to pass a holding bylaw this week until it can be fully investigated.
Call or email Clarington Council today, please. For our health, for our children's health, now and in the future.
Mayor Adrian Foster
mayor@clarington.net
905-623-3379 ext. 2005
Councillor Ron Hooper
Rhooper@clarington.net
905-623-3379 ext. 2003
Councillor Corinna Traill
ctraill@clarington.net
905-623-3379 ext. 2003
Councillor Janice Jones
Jjones@clarington.net
905-623-3379 ext. 2003
Councillor Marg Zwart
Mzwart@clarington.net
905-623-3379 ext. 2003
Councillor Joe Neal
Jneal@clarington.net
905-623-3379 ext. 2003
Councillor Granville Anderson
Ganderson@clarington.net
905-623-3379 ext. 2003
ONE EMAIL, all 6 councillors: council@clarington.net
Clarington Councillors and Mayor's Office
40 Temperance Street
Bowmanville, ON L1C 3A6
Are you ready to build a caring community?
Your neighbour,
Karrie Lynn