Lesson From L.A.

On June 17, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley said at a news conference, “I am not convinced that the LANCER project is safe, and I am today asking the City Council to terminate LANCER.”

LANCER is--rather was--the Los Angeles City Energy Recovery project, another trash-to-energy project. Bradley also said, “I have said repeatedly over the last several months that I would not support LANCER if it posed a danger to public health. It is clear to me that questions about health risks, methodology assumptions and procedures have not been answered to my satisfaction and I, therefore, ask the council to terminate the LANCER project.”

The mayor’s concern about health risks for trash-to-energy plants is very real. As more and more is learned about the emissions--especially dioxin and heavy metals--from these smoke-belching behemoths, more and more researchers are concluding that plant emissions cause cancer, and no control device can prevent significant dioxin emissions! It is the dioxins, plus the toxic heavy metals, which cause cancer. The two trash plants proposed for San Diego county would emit the same toxic pollutants as LANCER.

Prior to the mayor’s decision to halt the project, the Los Angeles County Medical Assn. issued a press release opposing LANCER and saying in part, “The greatest danger posed by LANCER is from extremely toxic chemicals, dioxins and furans that the incinerator would emit.” Dr. Samuel Roth also said that the ash, which would contain dioxin and toxic metals, might be classified as a toxic substance.

We would all be wise to follow the lead of an astute mayor and scientific researchers and oppose the trash-to-energy plants being considered for San Diego County. If Los Angeles can do it, so can we!

DR. WALTER J. SCHNEIDER

Escondido