Rocky Mountain Lab
Groups ask lab to dump incinerator
by PERRY PEARSON - Ravalli Republic
Two groups who have been at odds with Rocky Mountain Laboratories in the past promoted the idea of an incineration-free campus at a public input meeting last week.
About 40 people attended the meeting in Hamilton, which was scheduled to draw public comment about the federal lab's 20-year master plan and supporting environmental impact statement - both in developmental stages.
Alexandra Gorman, director of science and research for Women's Voices for the Earth, said Monday that she is pleased with how RML is handling its master plan and environmental impact statement.
It is a “really open and transparent process,” said Gorman, whose organization is based in Missoula.
“There were a lot of issues last time,” she said of the last environmental impact statement that started in 2001 when officials were considering building a biosafety level 4 lab on the RML campus. “The process, starting with scoping, and getting the word out and being very open to public input seems to be very different this time around.”
In 2004, Gorman's organization along with Friends of the Bitterroot and the Coalition for a Safe Lab settled with the federal government in a lawsuit related to the expansion of the lab. The expansion includes the construction of a biosafety level 4 facility equipped with high-tech safety measures and security that allows housing the most deadly pathogens.
Officials from National Institutes of Health, which oversees the lab, agreed to additional safety measures and local oversight, while the groups that filed the civil suit agreed to dismiss the complaint.
As part of the settlement, NIH agreed to have a study done to find alternative treatment technologies of disposing of infectious waste rather than incineration. NIH also agreed to other concessions.
The 44-page study, completed by a consulting company not affiliated with the lab, was released in December and states that the lab currently generates about 621 pounds of non-prion, non-animal infectious waste per day, about 3 pounds of non-prion animal carcass or tissue waste per day, and about 177 pounds of prion-contaminated waste including animal carcasses per day.
The integrated research facility under construction is expected to generate about 252 pounds of animal-related infectious waste per day plus 130 pounds of lab waste per day.
The study determined that two sets of technologies could be used in place of the incinerator: one set for non-prion infectious waste, and another set for prion waste. One technology uses pressurized steam.
Prions are infectious proteins found in the brains of animals that are can cause diseases.
“We want them to say in their master plan that this is something that they are willing to do,” Gorman said. “It's the last medical waste incinerator in the state of Montana. Everybody else is turning to non-incineration alternatives. The technology is available. It is just something that they need to decide to do.”
Jim Miller, president of the Friends of the Bitterroot, agreed. He said the lab is already recycling its non-medical waste.
“It is just a heck of a program,” he said. “They used to burn all that stuff and now they are recycling it ... Why not phase out the incineration altogether. We want them to look 20 years into the future and go ‘incineration is just not something that is appropriate anymore, especially in a residential neighborhood.'”
Others, who attended the meeting, including neighbors, spoke about other issues such as traffic, noise, energy and water conservation, and parking.
Ron Wilson, a master planner for NIH based in Bethesda, Md., said scoping comments will be taken until April 18. He hopes to have a master plan draft and draft environmental impact statement ready for the public sometime this summer.
“We were glad to see so many people are interested in what we are doing out there,” Wilson said of last week's meeting.
The issue of incineration will be discussed in depth at a community liaison group meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 5 from 7 to 9 p.m., according to Marshall Bloom, associate director of RML. The meeting will be in conference rooms B-C at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital in Hamilton.
The public meeting will include a discussion of environmental monitoring at the lab by Dianne Huhtanen. Bloom noted that Huhtanen will outline how the current incinerators are regulated by the federal government.
The scoping process is part of the National Environmental Policy Act.
The lab's master plan will identify the long-term facility and space needs for the campus and will contain specific plans and proposals for addressing the needs in a coherent, consistent and cost-efficient manner.
The lab in Hamilton is a component of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. It is a part of the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Those people who wish to comment on the EIS or ask questions can call Valerie Nottingham at 301-496-7775, e-mail her at nihnepa@mail.nih.gov, or fax her at 301-480-8056.
Reporter Perry Pearson can be reached at 363-3300 or ppearson@ravallirepublic.com
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