A new study from University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University researchers finds that Baltimore’s two waste incinerators are causing nearly $100 million in health damages to residents of Baltimore and D.C.
The study is still in the peer review phase, but points to severe medical impacts of alleged black smoke emissions coming from the BRESCO and Curtis Bay Energy Medical Waste incinerators, particularly for residents in South Baltimore.
“The BRESCO Incinerator still remains the single largest source of air pollution in Baltimore City, as for the Curtis Bay Medical Waste Incinerator, we show evidence in the in the paper that they release black smoke for an average of 52.5 minutes every single day,” said Kevin Tu, the lead researcher on the paper.
In total, BRESCO is responsible for about $53.8 million in medical damages and Curtis Bay is responsible for $36.9 million.
“These facilities operate in communities already burdened by cumulative environmental stressors and economic insecurity,” said Carlos Sanchez, a Baltimore resident who lives within two miles of BRESCO and works near the Curtis Bay Energy site with the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. “We cannot afford to allow governments that are in place to protect us and hospitals with a duty to heal us to continue to fuel incinerators that make us sick.”
The study looks at the emissions of both of the incinerators, how they are dispersed and the increased rates of illnesses like heart disease and asthma.
“A lot of these costs are borne by the most vulnerable populations,” Tu said. “In particular, our study shows that like communities with higher socioeconomic vulnerability tend to bear the largest cost of the health damages.”
In April, the Maryland General Assembly voted to end tens of millions of dollars in subsidies to the BRESCO incinerator.
Residents of south Baltimore filed a civil rights complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency over the BRESCO Incinerator last year, stating that the city is regening on its plans to phase out the plant to the detriment of the health of communities of color.
The complaint did not have any punitive consequences, but will notify policymakers when the city applies for federal grants. In this instance, the Department of Public Works could see issues with funding.
The Title VI complaint alleges discrimination from a government program or body.
The research is in line with previous work done by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in 2017, which found BRESCO caused about $55 million in health problems a year for the people living around the area.
In 2022, WIN Waste, which owns the incinerator, began upgrading its emissions technology as a result of a Baltimore Clean Air Act lawsuit. The facilities’ permit expires in 2027.
Baltimore disposes of most of its solid waste at the plant through a contract with the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority, which expires in 2031.
In 2021, the WIN Waste handled 700,200 tons of waste.