Test Burn Of Tyres Raises Temperature In Vermont

In Vermont, the International Paper Co. started a two-week test burn of tyre chips this week. The prospect of burning tyres has aroused considerable opposition and emotion in the state, with Attorney General William Sorrell, who went to court to try to stop the test burn on Vermont’s behalf, claiming that there could be increased emissions of 21 pollutants, some carcinogenic.

The paper mill owners say the test is safe, but while most tyre-burning plants in the United States operate with up-to-date pollution control equipment, International Paper was given the go-ahead to perform the test without that equipment and it aims to burn up to 70 tons of tyre chips a day to save $4 million in fuel costs.

Opposition to the test burn was fierce, and despite the go-ahead having been given, protest groups have pledged to keep fighting.
During the next two weeks, two state agencies will be monitoring the situation closely. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation is monitoring the burn around the clock, looking for particulates, sulphur dioxide, zinc and other potentially toxic metals. The Vermont Health Department has also set up a medical surveillance program with area hospitals and clinics to watch for any effects on health.