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Breaking News! December 7th, 2001 See Also Fact
Sheet on Stericycle, the company that bought IES (by Health Care Without
Harm).
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IES Medical Waste Incinerators in Oakland to Close Immediately! 4 Year Battle Against Toxic Polluter Ends in Big Victory for Community, Health and Environmental Justice Oakland, CA -- In an enormous victory for community and environmental justice groups, the controversial Integrated Environmental Systems medical waste and solid waste incinerators in Oakland, California, are closing effective December 10, 2001. Faced with escalating community protests and blockades of trucks carrying medical waste, massive fines and pending legal action, IES has been sold to competitor Stericycle. The new owner reportedly will be tearing down the incinerators and closing the facility immediately. IES was the last remaining commercial medical waste incineration facility in California, and was under fire from the community due to emissions of dioxin, mercury, particulates and other toxics. IES was also notorious for hundreds of violations, including excess emissions, broken monitors, odors, uncontrolled bypasses of the pollution control equipment and worker safety violations. Despite recent claims by government officials that IES had improved, violations including excess hydrochloric acid emissions and more uncontrolled bypasses have continued. IES was located in a low-income community of color in East Oakland, and government agencies including the Bay Area Air Quality Management District participated in environmental racism by ignoring toxic emissions and ongoing violations for years. Greenaction and the Coalition for Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice have battled IES and government agencies for four years to end incineration. We have worked, and will continue to work, to promote safer non-incineration technologies to treat medical waste, and to encourage hospitals to use less toxic products. The Coalition brings together local residents and community, health, labor, religious, youth and environmental justice groups. Stericycle is the largest medical waste treatment company in the U.S., and operates three non-incineration autoclave facilities in California and medical waste incinerators in Utah and Arizona. Greenaction and the Coalition call on Stericycle to use only non-incineration technologies, and we will oppose any attempt by Stericycle to send waste out of state for incineration. We call on Stericycle to hire IES workers who may lose their jobs as a result of the sale. "This is a great victory for community health and environmental justice," said Bradley Angel, Executive Director of Greenaction. "This victory shows that ordinary people with justice on our side can beat polluters and their friends in government. This victory will send a message across the country that incineration is a dangerous and unacceptable technology that must be replaced by safer alternatives. The health of our communities must be a priority over the profits of polluters." "As someone fighting cancer, the end of incineration in our community is wonderful news," said Louise Lampkin, a local resident and teacher. "Kids in East Oakland and Alameda will now be able to breathe air that is cleaner and safer, and we can all look forward to a healthier future." |