Does incinerator foul air?

In response to concerns from residents, the state Division of Air Quality is planning to take a closer look at the emissions from a medical-waste incineration plant in North Salt Lake.

The division also said it will create a Web site with the latest emission-test data from the plant and a list detailing when the plant, Stericycle, has bypassed its pollution control system. Division officials plan to meet to talk about the Web site this coming Tuesday, said Rick Sprott, Division of Air Quality director.

"When you get down to the nitty-gritty, the most important thing is to protect the public health so that people can feel safe where they live," Sprott said in an interview Thursday.

In terms of emissions, the Division of Air Quality will be working with Stericycle to reduce its number of emergency bypasses to zero. The state will also be working to better estimate what's sent into the air during a bypass, Sprott said. A bypass is when the plant is allowed to circumvent its pollution-control systems during a power outage or equipment malfunction.

Stericycle had nine bypasses last year; 19 in 2004; and 31 in 2003, according to the Division of Air Quality.

As a whole, Sprott said, Stericycle should not be a big concern to residents. Its emissions — which include lead, mercury and dioxin — are substantially below the threshold where health can even be minimally impacted, he said. That includes emissions during a bypass.

"Even with those pollutants, the scale is very low and doesn't approach a health risk," Sprott said.

North Salt Lake resident Crystal Folgmann said in an interview Thursday that she plans to meet with Sprott and other interested groups to see what can be done to better inform the public about Stericycle. Folgmann organized a meeting this past Tuesday about Stericycle that was attended by about 150 residents. Officials from the Division of Air Quality, Stericycle, the city of North Salt Lake, the Sierra Club and the environmental group Greenaction also attended.

The meeting came after the Deseret Morning News reported on residents' concerns about the proximity of Stericycle to houses in North Salt Lake's Foxboro development. The plant abuts the back fences of several homes in the development. Foxboro has sold about 700 homes, with plans for 500 more.