The DOE ORR TSCA Incinerator is a mixed waste incinerator constructed in 1989 by DOE and operated by Lockheed-Martin under permits from the State of Tennessee under the Toxic Substances Control Act. It is the only incinerator in the USA licensed for mixed hazardous and radioactive wastes and as such forms an important part of the DOE waste disposal plans.
Recently TSCA has come under attack for two reasons: 1) There are a group of about fifty nearby K-25 workers who are experiencing health problem and they believe TSCA may be responsible due to the release of heavy metals and toxic organics which combine to produce their symptoms, and 2) The shipment of radioactive wastes into Oak Ridge for processing in TSCA and the return of the resulting residues is believed to constitute a hazard.
The issue has received considerable attention in the Nashville Tennessean newspaper, the Governor's Office and the state Legislature as well as the Tennessee Senate delegation to Washington, DC. Many of the newspaper articles have been quite emotional and, in the opinion of many Oak Ridgers, biased. No one disputes the serious nature of the workers' illness nor that efforts to find the cause should be under taken; in fact much has been done and continues to be done but the answer has been elusive. The point of contention is the biased presentation of the background information. The following try to present that information in an objective manner.
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