Re: medical waste incinerator stack testing

["Jon Campbell" <jon@cqs.com>]

  Hi, Rob,
  
        Yes, there is a very good reason to
  be suspicious of re-tests for medical
  waste incinerators for metals. Specifically,
  mercury thermometers and other mercury-laden
  devices and batteries can appear (or not appear)
  in the waste stream at any time. If there is no
  "scrubbing" equipment and no carbon or lime
  injection into the stack (which can divert the
  mercury into the ash instead of into the air)
  then stack measurements of mercury would
  sometimes be very high, other times relatively
  low...
  
  Regards
  Jon Campbell
  -----Original Message-----
  From: RobC313@aol.com <RobC313@aol.com>
  To: Multiple recipients of list <dioxin-l@essential.org>
  Date: Wednesday, November 19, 1997 2:49 PM
  Subject: medical waste incinerator stack testing
  
  
  >After a couple years of stalling, a local 25 ton per day medical waste
  >incinerator is finally doing stack testing. The problem is that we have
  lost
  >confidence in the regulatory agencies overseeing the testing and need to
  have
  >a better understanding of the testing procedures.  As community activists
  we
  >have learned that while taking the air samples to test for organics and
  >metals "the collected samples for the metals analysis were determined to be
  >invalid by the observers and new samples will be collected"
  >
  >My question is this. Are there any scientific reasons to be suspect of the
  >claim that they would have to retest for metals.  Could it be that a
  "typical
  >burn" would not be able to conform to both organics and metals, and that
  >perhaps they had fine tuned the system to pass the organics, knowing they
  >could retest (and re-tune?) for the metals?
  >
  >Additionally, A week before the testing someone had overheard the
  Incinerator
  >owners, say that the testing should go well unless they have a "glass
  train".
  > Could someone explain the term glass train and why it would pose a problem
  ?
  > Is there any significance to their having to re-test for metals?
  >
  >Obviously we need lots of tech ( and perhaps legal) help.  If you, or
  someone
  >you know are familiar with the procedures for stack testing and if such
  >suspected shenanigans are common in the industry we would be most grateful
  >for advice and guidance.
  >
  >Rob Cedar
  >Humanity Against Contamination
  >Robc313@aol.com
  >
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