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Controversy is in the air

As cremation gains in popularity, some local residents fear pollution and a decrease in their property values.

By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS
Published March 2, 2007

A crematory in Temple Terrace got a permit last October, but has not yet begun operation. One in East Ybor City got a permit in February. Another in East Ybor City could be approved this month.

Residents of East Ybor and the nearby Gary neighborhood don't want them near their homes.

They fear pollution. They fear loss of property value. They fear the crematories will cast a shadow on their historic district, just blocks away.

But every year, more and more people are choosing cremation over burial. Florida has the second most cremations in the country. Only California ranks higher.

Crematories seem to have come out of nowhere, catching neighbors, and city and county officials by surprise.

But with the door now wide open for more to move into industrial areas throughout the city, the tendency to avoid thinking about death has been replaced by a need to meet the new neighbor.

- - -

Cremation is gaining popularity, especially in the Tampa Bay area.

Twenty years ago, in Pinellas County, only 18 to 20 percent of people who died were cremated. In 2005, 60 percent chose cremation in Pinellas, and 40 percent did so in Hillsborough.

Those numbers are higher than the national average. In 2005, about 32 percent of Americans chose cremation. The Cremation Association of North America predicts that in 20 years, 51 percent will.

Bill McQueen, the association vice president who lives in St. Petersburg, says people who retire and come to Florida don't have enough local family ties to want to be buried here. If their friends have already died, they may not want much of a ceremony. And seniors on stretched budgets have an easier time paying for cremation.

At Florida Mortuary, a simple cremation costs $875. If family members still want a ceremony before the cremation, with an open casket and embalmed body, it costs $3,995.

Burials with ceremonies tend to average $7,000 to $10,000.

Pollution concerns

It doesn't look like much from outside the buildings, but the smokestack is the source of pollution, and, therefore, the epicenter of the crematory discussion.

Each smokestack shoots up to 5 tons of dust from the cremation process into the sky per year.

That may sound like a lot, but Diana Lee, chief of air permitting at the Environmental Protection Commission, says the pollution is minimal compared to other industrial facilities. A power plant will emit more pollution in any day than a crematory does all year.

If machines are built efficiently, no smoke should be visible. If smoke is visible, the crematories could lose their permits.

The biggest resident fear is dangerous levels of mercury released when bodies with dental fillings are burned.

The use of dental fillings containing mercury has declined by 38 percent over the past 10 years, according to the Center for Disease Control.

But the study also says 90 percent of fillings just 10 years ago contained mercury.

The average cremation unit processing 400 bodies per year would emit 0.15 pounds of mercury per year, according to a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That's smaller than a typical household sugar cube.

(Note: The EPA study was co-financed by the Cremation Association of North America.)

Recently, the EPA decided the risks were so low it would no longer regulate crematories under the Clean Air Act.

And Florida just streamlined its permitting process. Two months ago, crematories had to apply for construction permits. Now, they don't. If their machinery works, they're guaranteed a permit in 30 days.

City Council member John Dingfelder said at a meeting last week that the loosened restrictions are a result of a strong funeral lobby.

"They go to Tallahassee and they craft these laws to eliminate local government, eliminate local process," Dingfelder said. "Shame on Tallahassee. These things should not be allowed to trump local government."

Now, the public has no say in the process. The only way a permit can be denied is if a crematory's machinery doesn't work.

Lee said her hands are tied. The air permitting chief said her department was caught off guard by the new legislation.

"Nobody brought this to anyone's attention because they didn't' want anybody to know about this," she said.

As residents filled her voice mail with concerns, she set a date for an information workshop to talk about pollution with East Ybor and Gary residents.

"I can see why the citizens are concerned," Lee said. "You have two crematories close together."

Rebecca Yebba, owner of the Cremation Center of Tampa Bay, told the council that she looked at the entire city limits and throughout the county before applying for a permit in East Ybor. "There is probably not a single mile of land or 2-mile radius of land that does not have a house on it," she said.

It's a legitimate problem, Lee said.

"Our county is growing by leaps and bounds. You're going to come into problems where we have a lot of facilities that may end up operating next door to neighborhoods."

But that shouldn't pose a health problem, Lee said.

Neighbors of the Florida Mortuary on Nebraska Avenue have mixed opinions.

"It's really bad," said Irene Douglas, who lives two houses away from the crematory. "We can be sitting right out there, and that smell - you can't stand that smell."

"Like flesh burning," said her next-door neighbor, Renee Peterson.

"It's never bothered me," said Jon Kiszka, who lives across the street.

'Crematory row'?

Council members fear that the industrial area neighboring Ybor could become known as "crematory row." They'll hold a public workshop late this month, and then a hearing in April, to try to keep crematories from opening within a certain distance of residences, even if they are in an industrial zone.

Mees, of Florida Mortuary, said not to worry. He doesn't think the demand will cause even more crematories to spring up.

They're expensive to operate, especially because of insurance for the fire hazard. Most funeral homes will continue offering cremation services but will send corpses out to crematories, he figures.

Still, he said, public concern is understandable.

"No one really wants a crematory in their neighborhood," Mees said. "They remind people of death every time they drive by."

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at 226-3354 or azayas@sptimes.com.

By the numbers

5

tons of dust the average crematory emits per year

2

Florida's rank among all states in number of cremations.

7

crematories in Hillsborough that currently have permits

30

days it takes to get a permit

32

percent of dead people cremated nationally in 200

51

projected percent of dead people to be cremated nationally in 2025

Source: Environmental Protection Commission, Cremation Association of North America.

Crematory workshop

The Environmental Protection Commission will host a workshop to discuss crematories Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Children's Board, 1002 E Palm Ave.

Crematories in Hillsborough County

East Ybor: Ybor Funeral and Cremation Center

One human crematory, expects a permit later this month.

East Ybor: Cremation Center of Tampa Bay

One human, one animal crematory, has not begun operation, permitted February 2007.

Temple Terrace: Terrace Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation

One human crematory, has not begun operation, permitted October 2006.

Riverview: Florida Cemeteries

One human crematory. Began operation in 1998.

West Tampa: Humane Society of Tampa Bay

One animal crematory. Began operation in 1997.

Seminole Heights: Florida Mortuary, Southeast

One human crematory. Began operation in 1992.

Ruskin: Zipperer's Agape Mortuary & Crematory

One human crematory. Began operation in 1989.

Brandon: Hillsborough County Animal Services

One animal crematory. Began operation in 1983.

Source: Environmental Protection Commission

[Last modified March 1, 2007, 12:11:29]