Jun 18, 2009 - 04:30 AM
By Shania Kelly
As a Grade 7 student at Vincent Massey Public School, it has been brought to my attention through newspapers and websites that the government is planning to place an incinerator in my community.
I'm sure most of you out there most likely don't know what an incinerator is. Well, let me tell you, it is a huge industrial plant that burns our garbage to convert to electricity. As you may know, our eco-system is being polluted enough already.
By adding the incinerator, we are damaging it even more. Not only would we be ruining the earth, but we would also be causing more health problems. Do you know what we would be breathing in?
Toxins, people, things that are not healthy for anyone to be inhaling or consuming. An incinerator does not solve the problem of our waste; it only reduces around 30-50 per cent of the original compressed waste mass. Where does the rest go? The waste is then converted into ash that contains some of the most toxic contaminants. These contaminants can be dioxins and heavy metals.
Some of the toxins from the heavy metals can cause various health problems in children. If inhaled by adults, they can cause other long-term health issues that can be damaging.
I just can't believe that the government would want to place something like this in our community; it's just absurd. Have the people of Durham realized how many problems are involved with the incinerator? I have -- and I hope you will understand what I am trying to get across.
If you care about your children, your health, and our environment, you would agree with me and help put a permanent stop to the creation of the incinerator.
Shania Kelly is a 12-year-old student at Vincent Massey Public School in Bowmanville.
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