Andrew J. Glass, Director, Erie County Board of Health

Erie School District Public Hearing

October 30, 2008

Andrew J. Glass

Director Erie County Board of Health

During this research, we found that the products of combustion of fossil derived fuels (which tires are considered):

• ERE has estimated that, on average, 900 tons per day of tire derived fuel (TDF) would be combusted at the facility. Assuming that a tire weighs approximately 25 pounds per tire, this is equivalent to combusting 72,000 tires per day.

• The combustion of the TDF will generate approximately 155 tons per day of ash.

• There is no estimate of the emission of carbon dioxide.

• There is no emission estimate given in the plan approved application for polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are a subset of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). ERE has estimated that 27.5 tons per year of VOCs will be emitted per year.

• There is no direct estimate of the amount of PM-2.5 emitted from the facility. ERE will most likely be required to conduct a stack test for filterable PM-2.5 as part of the plan approval.

• Nitrous and sulfur oxides produced contribute to acid rain.

• Mercury compounds concentrates in the lake/water and benthos, bioaccumulates and biomagnifies through the food chain. Even the smallest amount of Mercury is harmful to humans, fish and animals. (2006 Air and Waste Management Association)

• Despite important gaps in scientific knowledge and continued reasons for some skepticism, a comprehensive evaluation of the research findings provides persuasive evidence that exposure to fine particulate air pollution has adverse effects on cardiopulmonary health.

• Since 1997, there has been a substantial amount of research that added to the evidence that breathing combustion-related fine particulate air pollution is harmful to human health.

• A Comprehensive evaluation of the literature provides compelling evidence that continued reductions in exposure to combustion-related fine particulate air pollution as indicated by PM-2.5 will result in improvements in cardiopulmonary health.

• Tires contain around 20 different metals most of which have effects on humans, aquatic life and animals.   (2002 Environmental Health Perspectives)

• The magnitude of the association between particulate pollution and daily deaths suggests that controlling fine particle pollution would result in thousands fewer early deaths per year. (Circulation 2008)

• Studies show an association between long-term air pollution and well-established quantitative measures of atherosclerosis. Biological plausibility for a causal relationship between air pollution and atherosclerosis is supplied by animal studies.   (Environmental Science Technology 2006)

• Ultrafine particles are emitted preferentially and exhibit the longest atmospheric residence time.

• “Atmospheric PM has been liked with adverse effects on human health.”   (Environmental Science and Technology 2001)

• During their migration through the air, PAHs can undergo environmental factors which transforms them into products in some cases more dangerous than the originally released. PAHs or their derived compounds can get into water and soil being assimilated by the different organisms (plants, animals, fish, etc.) existing in the corresponding ambient. As result and due to the biological cycle at which living species are submitted, PAHs and derived compounds can get into the human body more or less directly, by ingestion, inhalation, or contact with the skin forming adducts which could alter the regular behavior of cells.   (JAMA 2002)

• Long-term exposure to combustion-related fine particulate air pollution is an important environmental risk factor for cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality.

• Coarse particles and gaseous pollutants, except for sulfur dioxide, were generally not significantly associated with elevated mortality risk.

• In conclusion, the findings of this study provide the strongest evidence to date that long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution common to many metropolitan areas is an important risk factor for cardiopulmonary mortality.

Elevated fine particulate air pollution exposures were associated with significant increases in lung cancer mortality.