4 More Years of Breathing Unacceptable Levels of Toxic Air Pollutants is 4 Years too many!

Deadline to request a Public Hearing is December 14, 2009

The BMWNC medical waste incinerator is located in Matthews, North Carolina. Under its CURRENT permit the BMWNC medical waste incinerator generates over 23 tons of toxic and hazardous air pollutants per year.

The EPA just issued NEW RULES that set stricter standards for chemicals released by medical waste incinerators. Existing incinerators like the BMWNC must comply with the EPA’s NEW RULES no later than October, 6, 2014, but the Mecklenburg County Air Quality has the authority to instigate the new EPA rules immediately. However, the County is proposing that the permit renewal for the BMWNC reflect the standards under old rules, not the new rules!

This will result in nearby residents of both Mecklenburg and Union Counties, and students at the Levine Campus, Central Piedmont Community College, four more years of breathing levels of toxic air pollutants, now deemed unacceptable by the EPA, that include particulate matter, mercury vapors, hydrogen chloride, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls, chromium, hydrogen fluoride, cadmium, sulfur dioxide, beryllium, nitrogen oxide, arsenic, carbon monoxide, dioxins and furans.

Please Write to Mecklenburg County Air Quality and request that a public hearing be held to allow residents an opportunity to comment on the County’s plan to issue a permit to BMWNC under the old rules.

Send comments to:
Don R. Willard, Director
Mecklenburg County Department of Air Quality
700 N. Tryon St., Suite 205
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202-2236


OR
Use our sample letter below to submit your comments with one click.

Deadline was December 14, 2009.

This is a copy of our sample letter.

Don R. Willard, Director
Mecklenburg County Department of Air Quality
700 N. Tryon St., Suite 205
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202-2236
don.willard@mecklenburgcountync.gov

Re: Request for public hearing BMWNC Title V application for permit renewal

Dear Mr. Willard:

I request that the Mecklenburg County (MCAQ) host a public hearing on the draft permit renewal for the BMWNC medial waste incinerator.

I understand that existing medical waste incinerators are allowed up to four years to comply with the new rules. However, four more years may be too late for nearby residents who will have to continue to breathe unsafe levels of toxic air pollutants being released from the incinerator.

MCAQ has the authority to adopt the new rules recently issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. This would result in decreased exposures to toxic air emissions from the incinerator such as mercury, sulfur dioxide, cadmium, lead, arsenic and dioxin - to name a few - to nearby residents, workers and students attending the Levine Campus at the Central Piedmont Community College.

Four more years of breathing unacceptable levels of toxic air pollutants is four years too many.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

MORE INFO: Four More Years of Breathing Flyer | BMWNC Neighbors Flyer
EPA Tightens Rules For Medical Waste Incinerators