- Alex Despain
A controversial new crematory in Montavilla isn’t spewing the soil-poisoning mercury neighbors fear, according to a Portland environmental services firm.
PBS Engineering and Environmental was hired by Portland Public Schools last month to study soil at Vestal School, which sits about a block from Gable Funeral Home and Cremation Service. As the Mercury’s reported, the business has raised eyebrows since firing up an incinerator in February.
Neighbors report “sickly sweet” smells and noxious black smoke. They’re concerned the company is flouting conditions of its permit and coating the area around NE 80th and Everett with harmful particulates.
But PBS found no reason for alarm [pdf]. In tests conducted on swabs of Vestal’s roof and soil samples, the company detected mercury levels well below concentrations in other parts of the metro area.
“Sampling data do not indicate that there is a mercury concern related to the operation of the crematorium,” a report reads. “If significant and measurable quantities of mercury were emitted by this crematorium, one would expect to see more consistency in the levels of mercury detected in all the samples.”
It’s doubtful this news will much dissuade neighbors, who’ve insisted the crematory is consistently releasing toxic stuff into the air at greater levels than environmental law permits. They’re working with state representatives on potential legislation to curb crematories in residential neighborhoods.
Interestingly, the crematory is allowed in Montavilla under a similar designation that Commissioner Amanda Fritz wants to use to move homeless rest area Right 2 Dream Too under the Broadway Bridge: It’s a “community service.”
Could it be equally unlikely that the Mercury is spewing journalism?
As of June 2013,, Gable has done 27 cremations of indigent remains. Data for non-Indigent Burial Fund subsidized cremations is estimated at around 40, so that averages around 15 per month. It is not likely that there would be enough time to accumulate concentrations that other sources have had years to deposit on the roof and soil at Vestal. Time is the factor that nobody except the neighborhood is looking at.
Now if PPS elects to continue the study (which is unlikely) then more relevant data can be analyzed. Since the crematory only started operation in February of this year, any study of this kind is useless. The Mercury and PPS as well as Gable and the DEQ, are expecting that this issue will just “blow over” (no pun intended). Somehow I get the sense that Gable is in for a long, unprofitable fight.
With the release of this study, I predict another clear public opinion win for science over hysterical emotionalism.
I don’t see what the big deal is. Nobody complains about all the corpse parts I burn in the pile of semi-truck retreads and diesel fuel in the pit in my back yard.
I figure whatever by products are being released are natural or they wouldn’t exist anyways.