Our community need help on Cremation & Embalmment studies

[Kam Chung <kchung88@yahoo.com>]

Our community need help.

We are a group of residents live in San Jose California. Our city has
just approved a cramatorium to be established within our neighborhood.
The crematorium is located right next to an elementary school having
700 students, and within half a mile to many residential area. 

The crematorium owner claimed that they will do 3 cremation per day, 3
embalmment per month. They have a small funeral home. But they will
also except bodies from other funeral homes. And some bodies may be
embalmed by other funeral homes. Our city classified this business as
negative declaration requiring a conditional use permit. We need to
know the following:

1. Is the cremation process safe? Is there any emission like mercury,
dioxin, formaldehyde that will threathen the health of preschool kids
who are eating lunch, playing just 100 feet away.

2. What is the embalmment process? Is there any waste like human blood
from the process? Is there any regulation on disposition of the waste
since dead bodies may be carrying virus.

3. Is there any related studies available we can reference to?

We have tried a lot of ways to stop the project including:
1. Collected 1000 signatures with 2 days before a public hearing
2. Over 500 residents attended a public hearing held by
   our major and council members.
3. Called, faxed, mail, and email hundreds of protest letters to our
major and city councils

We were expressing our concerns from environmental, 
economically and psychological perspectives. Yet the city officials
voted unnamiously for the project. The residents are all very angry and
disappointed. We are taking legal action to stop it now. We need to
build our case. From scientific point o view, is there any toxic
substances like dioxin, mercury, and likewise emitted by the incinators
or embalming process which is harmful to kids of 3 - 11 years of age?

Some data provided by the cramatorium owner:
1. 2 incinerators (make: IEE Co, IE43-PPII)
2. Incinerator temperature : 1500 F
3. Maximum Flame temperature : 3000 F
4. Use 8 hr/day, 6 days/week, 52 weeks/year
5. Fuel : natural gas
6. Pollutant		Projected Emissions (lb/yr)
   Benzo(a)anthracene	1.7E-08
   cetaldehyde		5.7E-08
   Formaldehyde		1.4E-06
   Arsenic		5.0E-03
   Beryllium		1.7E-06
   Cadmium		1.4E-05
   Nickel		5.0E-05
   Lead			8.3E-05
   Chromium+6		1.7E-05
   Dioxins		2.9E-08
   Furans		4.7E-08

   Hydrongen chloride  	9.0E-02
   Hydrongen fluoride 	8.3E-04
   Mercury		4.0E-03
   Copper		3.3E-05
   Zinc			4.3E-04


We did not know whether the pollutants data submitted by the owner are
correct. Appearantly Bay Area Air Quality Management does not have data
themselves.

We need help of any sort. We formed a community organization called
Coalition for Better Community to fight against it.

We have a web site, the url is
	www.c4bc.org

Please help.

Regards,

Kam Chung

(408)437-1288
kchung88@yahoo.com


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