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Waste incineration expert warns Six Nations By Jen Mt. Pleasant SIX NATIONS - It is said that history repeats itself yet often no one seems to notice and the mistakes tend to happen time and time again. Grassy Nar- rows First Nation is lo- cated near Dryden, On- tario in northwestern Ontario. In 1962, Dryden Chemicals, a pulp and pa- per mills company began dumping an estimated ten metric tonnes of mercury into the English-Wabi- goon River, which con- taminated the water, soil, fish and wild game. Many residents became sick with Minamata disease which {s caused by severe mercury poisoning. This past winter, Neil Young went on a Canada wide tour, performing concerts in various cities to help raise awareness and funds which went to the Athabascan Chipewy- . an First Nation in Alberta. The ACFN have been fight- ing the oil companies who have established projects near the first nation. Tar sands have destroyed the land and the environment Dr. Paul Connett says all forms of incineration produce health hazards. and community members are now getting sick with cancers and other diseas- es. One scientist warns that Six Nations may be the latest native commu- nity facing toxic emis- sions if Six Nations Elect- ed Council signs the deal with incinerator operator John Kearns of Kearns In- ternational. The 1\.vo Row Times recently spoke with Dr. Paul Connett, a retired university professor who taught Chemistry at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York for 23 years and has spent 29 years researching the is- sue of waste management. His research and activism has now taken him to 49 states in the United States, 7 provinces in Canada and 62 other countries world- wide to help fight waste incineration. Dr. Connett explained the effects of danger-- ous chemicals that get released into the air via waste incinerators, in- cluding the one that is be- ing operated at the Six Na- tions Landfill Site. These toxic chemicals that get into· the air are known as dioxins, said Connett. Asked to. describe how dioxins affect the body, Connett explained, "Ani- mals accumulate dioxins that come out of the stack of an incinerator. They g~t dispersed but eventually the particles and the gas- es fall to Earth and they go on to the vegetation. They go onto the grass. They go onto the soil. And the an- imals eat that grass. So if you got sheep, goats, cows, chickens, or pigs then they re-concentrate the diox- ins into their bodies. And it's pretty devastating. Animals re-concentrate the dioxins including wild game such as beaver and deer." Connett warned, "Furthermore, when we eat the animals, the diox- ins go into our body. We can't get rid of them. Men can never get rid of them over a lifetime. But wom- en can get rid of dioxins by having a baby. When a woman has a baby, the dioxins in her body fat are going to migrate to the fe- tus." Through experience, Dr. Connett has seen other companies try and sell na- tive communities waste incinerators because · fed- eral and environmental rules do not apply to first nations. "The native terri- tories are not governed by the federal environmental laws. We have seen this happen all over the Unit- ed States. I've seen them trying to build incinera- tors on the Native lands near Seattle, Washington. I lived near Massena, near Akwesasne and near- ly every day there was some company coming through proposing a mag- ic machine for the simple reason they don't have to meet the same regulato- ry requirements as they do off reserve. So that's what you (Six Nations) are seeing right now. If you're interested in protecting the environment, waste incineration is the worst way to)." According to Six Na- tions Elected Chief Ava Hill, "We have to do some- thing with the garbage back there (at the landfill site), we can't just keep burying it." If SNEC sign the final agreement with Kearns, they will pay him just shy of 4 million dol- lars for a brand new ma- chine. Dr. Connett offered a few suggestions as to how that money could be better spent, "That money can be far better spent on waste diversion through recycling, reuse, com- posting, waste ·reduction initiatives and economic incentives e.g. pay by bag system - as being done in dozens of communities around the world. The Ke- arns disintegrator is not sustainable." Dr. Connett has of- fered to come to Six Na- tions in August at no cost to the community, to de- bate the issue with John CONTINUED ON PAGE 35