Open Menu burning wins out over closed incinerator for M6 propellant in Camp Minden
The very first of many public meetings regarding the disposal of over 15 million pounds of M6 propellant in Camp Minden drew close to 150 concerned officials and citizens to the Minden Civic Center Thursday night.
There, they learned the arrangement reached between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army, that will finance the $28.5 million clean up of their illegally stored substance left by Explo Systems, Inc., calls strictly for open air burning.
“Local builders, the Maddens, designed a device,” Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton, who put up the assembly, said. “For some reason, that apparatus isn’t being considered within this clean up process.”
“We’re disappointed,” James Madden, proprietor of Madden Contracting, said. Madden’s son, David spent money and time researching and constructing a prototype that would have permitted closed incineration of the product. “We considered we built a better mousetrap.”
But Madden might not be from it yet. The Army should first design a bid package and go through a procedure required by law to find a company to take on the project.
“The Maddens can throw at a bid on the open tray procedure,” Sexton said.
State Sen. Robert Adley said while debate regarding responsibility was taking place, the Maddens developed a strategy to deal with this. Adley, together with others from the local delegation, attended a demonstration of the incinerator in Camp Minden past January. “We’re not professionals, but under law, by their interpretation, the EPA cannot use that procedure. I regret this, but it’s where we are in this stage of the game”
Adley said that under present law, the Louisiana Military Department and Maj. Gen. Glenn H. Curtis are expected to take calls from whoever supplies one.
“At the close of the afternoon , he (Curtis) can sit right down and decide who’s qualified, who has the expertise and if they have the financial capital to do it,” Adley said. “All of these things will be taken under consideration. It would be wonderful if it ended up being a person who, if they complete, will probably be sitting breathing this air .”
David Madden appeared resigned to the EPA’s choice after attending an informal meeting with officials earlier in the day.
“I’ve studied this procedure and, yes, I did work for the incinerator,” he said. “I met with EPA officials and other experts not associated with the EPA, and they are going down the right path with the holes that are open “
Madden said his change of heart hinged on the haste with which the disposal has to take place to avoid more degradation of the item, which makes it increasingly dangerous.
“It is important this get started the first quarter of next year,” he said. “I’ve looked in the air quality plumes (from open tray burning). Only 10 percent of the fallout will go to Doyline. There’s an equal amount heading toward Bossier and moving north. Our business is about a mile and a half since east. We’re all going to get a number of this.”
District 10 State Rep. Gene Reynolds said, moving forward, communication is essential.
“In my website and in my office, we will continue to keep each the completely upgraded stuff,” Reynolds said. “We’re going to keep (the public) educated with everything that emerges from this point forward.”
Sexton stressed the value of the public’s help.
“Help us calm the fears of those people in the community about what we don’t understand will occur with the destruction of the M6 propellant,” he said. “We might all agree on matters that may occur, but we don’t need to talk about what we need to fret about. The individuals who are likely to be responsible — whoever the contractor is — the people that are likely to be disposing of the item, keep them in your prayers because something could happen to the people who are responsible for moving out there and opening those bunkers, choosing this item upward, moving it and ruining it where we can live in a safer neighborhood.”
The upcoming public meeting is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 16. Time and location have never been decided.
by: http://press-herald.com/open-tray-burning-wins-out-over-closed-incinerator-for-m6-propellant-at-camp-minden/
An Unusual Ebola Infrastructure Problem: Waste
Patients for this debilitating virus create 440 gallons of medical waste daily, such as instruments, gowns, gloves, body fluids, linens, sheets and more. That is a considerable amount of medical waste in any circumstance, but it is particularly daunting in this situation because it ought to be disposed extremely carefully, to avoid the chance of spreading disease. What should you do with a problem such as Ebola waste? Because you don’t need to toss it in the garbage.
Somewhat astonishingly, says Bausch, the United States actually faces bigger problems in regards to safely disposing of Ebola waste, which is simply burned in large pits in Africa:”In the United States, naturally, we’re somewhat beholden to greater tech solutions, which in some ways are a tiny bit more problematic concerning treating all that waste, and we need autoclaves or incinerators that could handle that sort of thing. It’s not the actual inactivation that is particularly difficult; it is only the process of finding the waste from, of course, the frontline of care and interaction with the patients safely to the place where it could be incinerated or autoclaved.”
The difficulty in the United States is ironically compounded by the increased accessibility to medical care, and the high quality of healthcare services, available. In the United States, patients have been treated with medical teams with access to a massive volume of supplies they use for protection, such as masks, gowns, booties, and gloves, together with sanitizers and other tools. Moreover, patients receive extensive medical interventions which create waste such as needles, tubing, medical tape, empty IV bags, and more. The very care which has helped the majority of the handful of Ebola patients in the United States conquer the disorder has contributed to the huge amount of waste created, highlighting a critical hole in U.S. medical infrastructure — while African American hospitals may have lacked the supplies and personnel required to provide aid to Ebola patients, they are at least prepared to handle the waste.
The CDC only issued guidelines to assist clinicians and administrators decide upon how to handle Ebola waste, but The New York Times notes that many facilities do not have the autoclave, and incinerator, ability to take care of medical waste with this scale. Some countries prohibit the burning of medical waste altogether, or have barred incineration of Ebola waste, resulting in the transport of waste across state boundaries to facilities which could handle it, which introduces its own risks; with each mile added to transportation, there is a greater risk of spreading disease to previously unexposed communities.
Astonishingly, defenders of burning the garbage come from surprising corners. Environmentals such as Allen Hershkowitz, National Resources Defense Council senior scientist, point out :”There is no pollutant that is going to come out of a waste incinerator that is more dangerous than the Ebola virus. When you are dealing with pathogenic and biological hazards, occasionally the safest thing to do is combustion.” Fears about Ebola, rather than genuine ecological or public health issues, are forcing the decision to push against incineration of ebola waste in several regions, but eventually, the United States is going to need to face facts: The mounting waste which accumulates in facilities where Ebola patients receive treatments needs to be disposed of safely, as well as instantly.
The argument in defense of incineration can be bolstered by the fact that medical waste companies specialize in high-efficiency incineration with equipment designed to minimize and trap byproducts of combustion, reducing overall pollution considerably. Fears about Ebola, rather than genuine environmental or public health concerns, are driving the decision to push against incineration of ebola waste in many regions, but eventually, the United States is going to have to face facts: The mounting waste that accumulates in facilities where Ebola patients receive treatments needs to be disposed of safely, and promptly.
by: http://www.care2.com/causes/an-unexpected-ebola-infrastructure-problem-waste.html
Medical Waste Incinerator: Essential Medical Waste Disposal Services Provided By Meda Send
Hazardous wastes are those chemicals and medications that are toxic and infectious which can effectively affect the wellness of the people upon exposed. These may also be laboratory medicines that are used by physicians in aid for harsh and severe diseases and disorders of individuals. Disposing these hazardous waste wouldn’t be a difficult job because Meda Send will become your aid in this matter. They will present medical facilities containers in colored red covered by red plastic where they can put their toxic wastes. They’re also giving medical facilities sufficient time in collecting all of the hazardous wastes which may be discovered in their own place. This is essential before permitting the pickup truck of this company to get your collected hazardous wastes.
They are extremely much concern about the health of the people inside and outside of the healthcare facility hence they wanted to ensure that they wouldn’t be exposed and become levied together with the toxins and other dangerous chemicals coming from this hazardous waste. Considering that Meda Send is always accessible, medical facilities would always have an assurance of a quick disposal of waste particularly when there are already huge quantity of toxic waste in their own place. Medasend.com Posts
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Thus, for medical facilities which are rendering services to large or small group of people, Meda Send could be among the greatest companies that could give you safe and healthy environment that could cater the needs of the people towards a healthy and safe community to live. One of the most dangerous kinds of waste that people will need to get rid of is toxic wastes. These are the sort of wastes which completely pose possible or substantial risks to people particularly to general health and to the environment. These wastes are also called special wastes because they can’t be immediately disposed compared to other kinds of wastes.
Therefore, in order to relieve all of the worries of the people regarding this matter Meda Send provides hazardous waste disposal which could help medical facilities. They’re supplying cost-effective in addition to secure services that could easily and effective disposed your toxic waste. They’re extremely consistent in giving safe in addition to environmental-friendly solutions to the men and women in order to disposed common present toxic waste in medical facilities. They’re the best business that will give your medical facility toxic waste disposal program which will be successful towards your goal for a healthy and secure environment for those people. Don’t miss the opportunity to avail any of the services provided by Meda Send for a healthful and secure environment. This would always ensure that you will have a healthy environment that’s free elements that pose health dangers.
Most men and women are aware that there is a large number of medical wastes which are being produced by the majority of the medical facilities like hospitals, clinics and many other health facilities each day. Even though some healthcare facilities are regarded as knowledgeable and proficient in simplifying their wastesthey still will need to seek a company that can guide them and assist them on how they’re likely to dispose their waste correctly particularly when cases that they can no longer handle appropriate medical waste in their own place.
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Another challenge: disposing of waste
Just one Ebola patient treated in a U.S. hospital will generate eight 55-gallon barrels of medical waste each day.
Protective gloves, gowns, masks and booties are donned and doffed by all who approach the patient’s bedside and then discarded. Disposable medical tools, packaging, bed sheets, cups, plates, tissues, towels, pillowcases and anything which is utilized to clean up after the individual has to be thrown away.
Dealing with this assortment of pathogen-filled debris without triggering new illnesses is a legal and logistical challenge for each U.S. hospital currently preparing for a possible visit by the virus.
In California and other states, it is a much worse waste-management nightmare.
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends autoclaving (a kind of sterilizing) or incinerating the waste as a surefire means of destroying the germs, burning waste is effectively banned in California, also banned in many different states.
“Storage, transport and disposal of the waste is going to be a significant issue,” California Hospital Association President C. Duane Dauner warned Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., in a letter last week.
Even a few states that normally permit incineration are throwing up barriers to Ebola waste.
In Missouri, the state attorney general has sought to pub Ebola-contaminated debris by a St. Louis incinerator operated by Stericycle Inc., the country’s biggest medical waste disposal firm.
as a result of restrictions on burning, California hospital representatives say their only alternative appears to be trucking the waste over public highways and incinerating it in a different state — a prospect which makes some environmental advocates embarrassing.
Prerequisites for transport
Under national transport guidelines, the material would be designated a Class A infectious substance, or one that’s capable of causing death or permanent disability, and might require special approval from the Department of Transportation, hospital representatives say. “Not to create any type of scare, but only given the makeup of the people and the hub we are. It is very possible” It can’t endure a 1,500-degree scorching within an incinerator, or even the prolonged, pressurized steam of an autoclave. “It is killed by bleach, by autoclaving, by an assortment of chemicals.”
But, CDC guidelines note that”chemical inactivation” has yet to be standardized and could trigger worker safety regulations.
Getting prepared
California health officials lately tried to reassure residents that the nation’s private and public hospitals were around the job and were actively training for the possible coming of Ebola.
“Ebola doesn’t pose a significant public health risk to California communities in the present time,” said Dr. Gil Chavez, an epidemiologist and deputy director in the California Department of Public Health. “Allow me to tell you why: Present scientific proof specifies that people can’t access Ebola through the atmosphere, food or water. … The Ebola virus doesn’t survive over a couple of hours on impervious surfaces.”
It was uncertain whether California officials viewed the waste issue as a possible issue.
Although one third of the nation’s private hospitals and”several” of its public hospitals reported to Boxer’s office there would be problems complying with the CDC’s incineration recommendation, and others, a state public health officer told reporters he was not aware of any conflicts.
Dr. David Perrott, chief medical officer for the California Hospital Association, said there was also confusion about whether contaminated human waste could be flushed down the toilet.
“Here is what we’ve heard from the CDC: It is OK,” Perrott said. “But we’ve heard from some sources, that maybe we must sterilize it somehow and then flush it down the toilet or you have to consult local governments. It sounds maybe a bit gross, but there is a real question about what to do with this waste.”
Dr. Thomas Ksiazek, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, has said he believes there’s been a lot of overreaction about Ebola medical waste.
“There are different methods to deal with the waste; autoclaving would be chief among them,” Ksiazek mentioned. “The issue is, most physicians don’t use it for many disposable products. They’re quite pleased to bag them up and send them to a normal medical disposal firm.”
But Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said incineration is simple and powerful, and should be available to hospitals to help eliminate the mountain of waste.
Hershkowitz said states began to crack down on medical waste incineration years back because substances which didn’t have to get burned were being sent to combustors and were emitting dangerous pollutants.
within this instance of Ebola medical waste, he said California should reconsider its limitations.
“There’s no pollutant that is going to come from a waste incinerator that is more dangerous than the Ebola virus,” Hershkowitz said. “When you’re dealing with pathogenic and biological hazards, sometimes the safest thing to do is combustion.”
by: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Another-challenge-disposing-of-waste-5909413.php
“There are other ways to deal with the waste; autoclaving would be chief among them,” Ksiazek said. “The problem is, most hospitals don’t use it for most disposable items. They’re quite happy to bag them up and send them to a regular medical disposal company.”
But Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said incineration is simple and effective, and should be available to hospitals to help dispose of the mountain of waste.
Hershkowitz said states began to crack down on medical waste incineration years ago because materials that didn’t need to be burned were being sent to combustors and were emitting dangerous pollutants.
In this case of Ebola medical waste, he said California should reconsider its restrictions.
“There’s no pollutant that’s going to come out of a waste incinerator that’s more dangerous than the Ebola virus,” Hershkowitz said. “When you’re dealing with pathogenic and biological hazards, sometimes the safest thing to do is combustion.”
by: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Another-challenge-disposing-of-waste-5909413.php
County scraps plans for waste-to-energy incinerator
The Board of County Commissioners broke plans Thursday for a regional waste-to-energy incinerator, preferring to haul the county’s waste to a landfill using a short-term contract instead. Commissioners Paul Smith and Billy Shreve cast the dissenting votes to maintain the job on the dining table while the county investigates its options.
“It is absolutely no charge to the county to maintain these options open,” Smith stated. “To do away with these choices is mad.”
Terminating the undertaking will not cost the county any money as the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority, a quasi-governmental service that helps the county meet its trash disposal needs, will cover the $500,000 conclusion fee. Any remaining funds after this payment will be divided between Frederick County and Carroll County, which was once a partner in the undertaking. These funds are out of payments the authority has obtained from Wheelabrator after the service contract has been executed in 2010.
But, Young said he saw no purpose in voting to maintain plans for an incinerator, which could burn trash to electricity, open because County Executive-elect Jan Gardner intended to scrap the facility after accepting office Dec. 1.
“In the event the county executive-elect says finishing the job, what are you going to do within the next 30 to 60 days to convince her not to?” Young stated.
County Attorney John Mathias stated Gardner held the power to determine the fate of this incinerator job, not the County Council, if a decision was not made Thursday.
“I think you should terminate the entire thing,” Gardner testified in front of the plank and approximately 100 people gathered at Winchester Hall, garnering some applause.
The board unanimously voted in favor of transporting the county’s trash to an out-of-state landfill for $50.95 per ton using a highest last-minute contract.
After considering five suggestions, including three out-of-state prices and 2 waste-to-energy facilities outside Maryland, the commissioners narrowed their choices between two sidewalks with varying contracts.
Commissioners previously leaned toward the first option, which offered contracts stretching 25 years at a mean of $54.97 a ton, although that cost can escalate annually using the consumer price index and fuel rates. However, the board unanimously chose the second option, which Gardner also favored.
Around 30 individuals testified in front of the board regarding the incinerator job, using a bit more than half in favor of scrapping it along with the remainder advocating for maintaining the job on the table to consider it more deeply.
“The incinerator is a waste of energy, a waste of resources (also ) a waste of cash,” Brunswick resident Ellis Burruss testified. “It’d be good not to waste any more time .”
Other residents noted the proposed location of this incinerator, near Monocacy National Battlefield, could ruin the playground ’s beauty and tourism.
However, resident Greg Brown voiced his support for a regional incinerator, supposing it had been more environmentally friendly than the other choices commissioners were contemplating.
“The top landfills … are three or more times more pollutant than a waste-to-energy facility,” Brown stated.
Another resident stated Europe has been constructing waste-to-energy centers for many years without the unwanted effects that many have brought up.
Jim Warner, CEO of the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority in Pennsylvania, pitched a proposition for hauling the county’s trash, but the commissioners chose to proceed with an undisclosed out-of-state landfill using a Brief contract.
“I was actually with this (incinerator project), but with all the energy costs and Carroll County falling out … I’m not,” Delauter said, echoing the ideas of Young and Gray.
by: http://besttopics.net/link/214519_county-scraps-plans-for-waste-to-energy-incinerator-politics-and-government-frederick-news-post
hot medical waste disposing machine, Operation Condition: 8-16 hr/ day
hot medical waste disposing machine, Operation Condition: 8-16 hr/ day
Control: Built-in data recording
Operating temperature: Incinerator
/Primary Combustion Chamber
Primary Chamber: 900 – 1200 0C
Control: Built-in data recording
Operating temperature: Incinerator
/Primary Combustion Chamber
Primary Chamber: 900 – 1200 0C
Type: horizontal/vertical
Temperature: 1200- 1300 oC
Residence time of gases : >2 seconds
Ash Residue: <5% of original waste size
Ash Handling System: Both Automatic and manual removal of Ash. Must ensure removal/treatment of hazardous remnants of ash
Flue gas treatment system : Capable of treating the flow of flue gas as the incinerator is operating at its maximum capacity
Auxiliary device: Water level gauge, pressure sensor, PH sensor..etc
Auxiliary device: Fuel cut-off device
Waste feeding mechanism: Automatic pneumatic/hydraulic waste loading system or conveyor belt , capacity 650-800 L at a time
Chimney (Stack):
Type: Vertical type
height:>7 meter’
Material: Fireproof cast, stainless steel
OUTPUT:
GAS- SMOKELESS,ODORLESS
ASH -Max <5% of original waste size
Reduction of Pollutant gas SO2, HCL, HF and line particulate
Emission standard:
WHO/ European
Test report for emission testing provided?
Heat exchange mode: Automatic
Type: Constant loading, Top LoadingCapacity/Burn Speed per hour: 250 -300 kg/hr Substance:External- 3 layers Internal lining: a fire proof material of pre-fired refractory bricks Using Aluminium lining, resistant to corrosive Gas or Waste and Also to thermal shockSecondary Combustion Chamber:
Burnaby garbage incinerator operator sued over pollution concerns
The Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District is suing Maxxam Analytics International Corp. and Covanta Burnaby Renewable Energy ULC for Supposedly failing to properly Examine fly ash samples in the district’s waste-to-energy facility in Burnaby.
Non-hazardous fly ash is accepted and disposed of in the Cache Creek landfill, the claim states. Samples analyzed by Maxxam in the summer and autumn in 2012, however, came back indicating high levels of cadmium that exceeded acceptable levels permitted for disposal in the landfill.
The results, the district claims,”called into question the power of the treatment of fly ash” at the center, forcing the plaintiff to incur charges by requiring greater sampling and testing, investigating the origin of the high cadmium levels and locating another disposal site for fly ash in Alberta. After the Ministry of Environment hit on the district using an advisory letter of non-compliance, the plaintiff hired”consultants, experts and legal counsel” to assist investigate.
An audit of Maxxam’s laboratory found that it did not follow appropriate methods, called the”Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure” and the”United States Environmental Protection Agency Method 1311″ to test the fly ash, according to the lawsuit. The Ministry of Environment’s evaluation found Maxxam’s results unreliable because of improper testing procedures and also discovered that”Covanta’s quality control and quality assurance protocols in the WTEF [Waste-to-Energy Facility] were not sufficiently developed to determine if leachability was happening or if a problem with the treated fly ash or the treatment system was happening,” the claim states. Additionally, the ministry discovered that Covanta could not readily”provide assurance that the treated fly ash fulfilled the toxic waste requirements under the Hazardous Waste Regulation.”
The district expects damages for negligence, misrepresentation, negligent operation of a service and breach of contract. The allegations have not been proven in court and the defendants hadn’t filed responses to the promise by press time.
by: http://prod-admin1.glacier.atex.cniweb.net:8080/preview/www/2.2551/2.2759/2.2742/1.1493460#
Hazardous situation: Incinerators in K-P’s major hospitals from order
PESHAWAR:
Based on information gathered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 15 to 20 tons of hospital waste is made every day in the provincial capital alone. Nearly half of the total waste is recycled while the remainder is accumulated by the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA).
LRH
“To be truthful, we have one incinerator which is not in proper working condition and hardly disposes a quarter of the total waste generated,” said an official in Lady Reading Hospital while requesting anonymity. “But we have a new incinerator which will soon be functional.”
The officer, who didn’t know the specific figure of the waste created, said LRH has been one of the most popular hospitals across the nation. It has over 5,000 people (at least 3,000 in outpatient and 2,000 in accident and emergency departments) from across the province on a daily basis.
“The incinerator below process has some problems as some of its components are yet to be obtained,” said the official. “It also requires adequate gas–another significant issue –but we’re in touch with Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL).”
The LRH official added that the supply of gas to the hospital isn’t enough for sterilisation. He said the hospital government is connected with SNGPL authorities and the issue will soon be solved.
HMC
Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) Chief Executive Dr Mumtaz Marwat said the incinerator in HMC is out of sequence but it will burn some waste. “The left is gathered from the PDA and the hospital administration has approved Rs0.4million for a new incinerator, which will soon be installed”
“Together with all the solid waste created by KTH, we also recycle waste that comes from some private hospitals at University Town,” said Roghani.
The EPA has already sent a written notice to the health directorate, asking it to correctly dispose of medical waste as stated beneath Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005. These say the duty of waste management is based solely with the magician that created it.
What occurs following
Actually if the incinerators at these hospitals have been repaired, the issue of unattended dump is very likely to persist. This is largely due to the tiny personal health centers which lack the fundamental knowledge and dispose of their waste as’municipal waste’. The ever-increasing amount of such centers is directly proportional to the waste created, making it a threat for the surroundings as at times that the waste is just left in a pile or buried to groundwater.