EcoWaste Coalition Tells Crematorium Operators: Control Emissions
29 April 2021, Quezon City
The group called for pollution remedial measures after affected residents of
Muntinlupa and Santa Rosa Cities voiced their complaints on television against
the stinking odor and thick smoke coming from public crematoria not far from
their homes.
“They need not wait for aggrieved citizens to turn to the media or for a video
of thick smoke billowing from the stack to go viral before taking the right
action,” he insisted.
“The exceptional demand for bodies to be cremated amid the COVID-19 pandemic is
no excuse to downplay the right of citizens to clean air,” he said. “It’s
a basic right protected by law.”
Republic Act 8749, or the Clean Air Act, recognizes the people’s “right to
breathe clean air” and directs the state to guarantee its enjoyment by all.
To this end, the EcoWaste Coalition urged crematorium operators to check if
they have a valid permit to operate and if they are registered with the
Environmental Management Bureau as a hazardous waste generator.
Every crematorium should have an accredited pollution control officer and
should be equipped with the necessary pollution prevention and control devices
to keep emissions within the allowable limits, the group pointed out.
“While we lack local data on pollutants released by crematoria and their health
impacts, it’s no secret that cremators release hazardous air pollutants,” said
Dizon.
A 2018 study on the “Emission Characteristics of Harmful Air Pollutants from
Cremators in Beijing , China
A more recent paper on “Crematoria Emissions and Air Quality Impacts” published
in 2020 by the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Canada
said “the pollutants of most concern are those known to be toxic to humans and
which can bioaccumulate in tissues (for example, dioxins/furans and mercury) as
well as fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), which can negatively impact the heart
and lungs and is associated with some chronic illnesses and adverse birth
outcomes.”
Last April 11, the EcoWaste Coalition asked national and local government
authorities to ensure that cremators safely operate amid rising COVID deaths.
References:
Muntinlupa City Crematorium, GMA News:
Sta. Rosa City Crematorium, Frontline Pilipinas:
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