Right now, the Maryland Department of the Environment is taking public comment on a proposed permit to allow Fort Detrick, in Frederick, MD, to construct a new medical waste incinerator. Comments are due Tuesday 1/6 - submit your comments now!
Fort Detrick is proposing to burn 550 lb/hour of medical waste at this incinerator, to be located in the middle of Area A between Opossumtown Pike and Rosemont Avenue. A medical waste incineration facility operated at Fort Detrick between 1995 and 2018, but was shut down "as the result of an Environmental Protection Agency Region III inspection which identified areas of noncompliance due to ongoing operational and maintenance issues." (Read the permit application and tentative determination here.)
Medical waste incineration, like municipal trash incineration, emits air pollution that impacts nearby residents' health. Incinerating waste emits mercury, lead, particulate matter 2.5 and 10, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, and carbon monoxide, all of which pose significant dangers to public health. Medical waste is typically approximately 25% plastic, and burning plastic especially releases dangerous compounds called dioxins into the air. Dioxin exposure is linked to cancer, diabetes, immune system suppression, and many other adverse health effects.
Fort Detrick borders several census tracts with high Environmental Justice (EJ) Scores (shown in dark orange on the map above), a measure calculated by the Maryland Department of the Environment to show the existing levels of pollution in a community and the potential vulnerability of a population to the effects of pollution. The heightened environmental justice concerns around Fort Detrick mean that this proposal and its potential health impacts deserve extra scrutiny.
Act now: submit your comments on the proposed permit to construct a new medical waste incinerator at Fort Detrick today!