Just about any housing development is faced with some unique problem or other from day one. Then there is the 40-unit residential development on Ocean Street Extension in Santa Cruz. The $8.5 million dollar project may have to be cancelled because it sits too close to a cemetery. And Halloween is just a week away.
Just about any housing development is faced with some unique problem or other from day one. Then there is the 40-unit residential development on Ocean Street Extension in Santa Cruz. The $8.5 million dollar project may have to be cancelled because it sits too close to a cemetery. And Halloween is just a week away.
The problem is potential mercury emissions that come from the crematorium smokestacks. Mercury is contained in tooth fillings, and now the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District says that burning them could pose a potential threat to residents.
The crematorium and the EPA both argue that the amount of mercury emitted during cremation is low—just 0.4 grams per corpse. Nevertheless, the EPA is also attempting to enact regulation to reduce dental mercury waste nationwide, now estimated to be 3.7 tons per year.
Even if the mercury problem is resolved, the housing project will still face other challenges, including a change to the area’s zoning from single-family to low-density multiple residency. Still, that is a lot easier to deal with than the fumes from the cavities of dead people. Read more at Santa Cruz Sentinel.
