Jessica Klinkenberg
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, August 15, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - The Department of Health and Social Services has decided to remove the incinerator and adjoining smokestack from Stanton Territorial Hospital.

The incinerator has been sitting idle for the last two years because it didn't burn hot enough, and as a consequence did not meet national standards.

Hospital incinerators, which burn biomedical waste such as used bandages and syringes, are supposed to burn at 1,200-1,300C to properly destroy all bacteria and chemicals. In 2003, Stanton's incinerator burned at a maximum of 900C.

A tender has since been issued by the government in an effort to find a company to remove the stack and incinerator. The hospital has no plan of replacing the unit.

Donna Zaozirny, Stanton director of operations, said that it's time for the stack and incinerator to go.

"We don't use it anymore. The emissions are too high," she said.

Due to pollution concerns the hospital now freezes its bio-medical waste and sends it down south to a facility where it can be properly incinerated.

"It costs us between $70,000 and $85,000 (per shipment)," Zaozirny said.

When the incinerator was shut down in June 2005 the hospital was forced to look at other alternatives.

Zaozirny said it made economic sense to continue shipping the waste south.

She said it would cost well over $1 million to build a new incinerator that would meet the national standard.

Zaozirny said the hospital ships the waste south three to four times a year, including waste from hospitals in Fort Smith and Inuvik.

"It works very well for us," said Zaozirny. "It's the most economical option for us at this time."

She added that removing the incinerator and stack will have no effect on running the hospital.

But she said that they can't take it down themselves.

"There's a process to remove an incinerator, you can't just take it down."

When asked how much it will cost to remove it, Zaozirny said the territorial government does not reveal projected costs while the tender is still open.