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Statesman Journal

Opinion Monday, May 2, 2005

Dioxin dangers outweigh benefits of burning waste

Marion board should reject out-of-county medical trash

May 2, 2005

Once again, the Marion County commissioners are about to decide whether to let more medical waste into the Brooks garbage burner.

The problem with medical waste isn't substances such as human skin and body parts; it's the proportion of intravenous tubes, blood bags and other materials high in polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. When PVC burns, it creates dioxin, a deadly poison that builds up in the body through time.

The county's Solid Waste Management Advisory Council has recommended going ahead with the plan. So has Jim Sears, director of public works, who notes that local dioxin levels are just one-thirtieth of what's permitted by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

So why don't we feel reassured?

Because a few persistent voices keep calling attention to how dangerous dioxin is and how long it stays in the environment. Because safety experts and government sources have been wrong so many times before. Because 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War, some veterans think that they still suffer from the effects of the dioxin in Agent Orange.

Because the trash burner is in our back yard.

This is no time for a rubber-stamped decision.

Don't complicate matters by dangling this Hobson's choice: that if the county earns extra cash by burning others' medical waste, the money will fund better ways to get rid of PVCs. Get rid of PVCs because Marion County residents don't want to breathe dioxin -- whether it's from medical waste or everyday stuff like plumbing supplies, lawn chairs and blinds.

If we must err, let's err on the side of caution.

What's next

The Marion County Board of Commissioners will discuss out-of-county medical waste during its management update at 9 a.m. today at Courthouse Square, 555 Court St. NE, Salem. A formal vote has not been scheduled.

For information, call (503) 588-5212.