Los Angeles County has temporarily suspended air quality regulations to allow covid-19 victims to be cremated, according to a executive order passed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District last weekend. The rules are suspended for 10 days as the region is working to “ catch up ” people who died from the coronavirus pandemic, which is still out of control in many parts of the country.
Los Angeles County has 28 crematoria, although those facilities are prohibited by law from operating at full capacity to reduce air pollution. But with more than 2,700 bodies currently in cold storage due to an influx of dead patients from the Covid-19 crisis, local authorities have decided that dirty air is the price Angelenos will have to pay if the backlog ever comes. are eliminated.
The Coroner has determined that the current death rate in Los Angeles County is more than double that of pre-pandemic years, and expects another increase to be imminent as a result of the New Year holidays, as deaths usually occur 4-6. weeks after meetings and the capacity of the deceased’s management system, including hospitals, funeral homes, crematoria and the coroner’s office, is exceeded, ”the executive order reads.
Los Angeles has been hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the province recently exceeding 1 million cases. The county has also reported 13,936 deaths as of Monday night. According to Johns Hopkins University, the US has identified more than 24 million cases and at least 398,000 deaths coronavirus tracker.
Cremation of bodies creates air pollution and unleashes traces of dangerous chemicals, such as mercury. The most common source of mercury in cremation is dental fillings in the deceased Baby boomers, a generation treated with mercury dental work before alternatives were developed.
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As a 2015 studying for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency found:
…Mercury in dental amalgams is known to evaporate when exposed to the high temperature of cremation (1400 to 2000 ° F). It is carried in the air in emissions at 674 ° F and contributes to the pollution of mercury in the environment (Mari & Domingo, 2009). The potential health effects of exposure to mercury released from dental amalgam restorations during cremation have generated public concern and debate.
Vaccines are being rolled out in the US, but the process is plagued with problems, thanks in large part to a completely hands-off approach by the Trump regime that has left local governments to their own devices. And while Los Angeles had hoped to get vaccines to all medical staff before the injections opened up to other segments of the population, the county announced late Monday that it would now allow anyone 65 and older to register as of January 21. get vaccinated.
“In recent weeks, the County of Los Angeles has been administering the vaccine to primary care health workers so they can remain safe while doing the important work of saving lives, and residents and staff in skilled nursing homes and long-term care. facilities, ”said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Hilda Solis in a statement her website.
“The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine has been a huge undertaking, especially during an unprecedented wave of cases, hospitalizations and deaths skyrocketing,” continued Solis. “However, if we are ever to get out of this dark winter, it is critical that we make progress in vaccinating people 65 and older as soon as possible – in line with Governor Gavin Newsom’s recommendations.”
While the end is in sight, there are still a few difficult months ahead as local health authorities continue to make tough choices – in some cases between vaccinating medical workers or the elderly. And in even more troubling cases, the tough choice between cleaner air and the public health crisis created by too many dead bodies lying around.