Crematorium 'no hazard' to locals

Mercury pollution is caused when tooth fillings are vaporised

A company considering building a new crematorium in Cornwall has said it will not create a hazard.

It follows concerns raised by residents living near the proposed site on the edge of Camborne.

Some people have said they are worried about mercury emissions, which are released into the atmosphere when bodies are cremated.

But the Westerleigh Group said its state-of-the-art filtration would strip all the mercury from the emissions.

Richard Evans, the company's managing director, said the mercury would then be sent for recycling.

Filtering guidelines

At a presentation to Camborne Town Council's planning committee on Tuesday evening, he insisted people living nearby would have nothing to fear.

"We will be raising standards and with the filtration equipment there will be virtually no emissions, no smoke and certainly no odour," he said.

It is estimated that crematoria release up to 16% of the UK's total mercury emissions.

Exposure to the toxic heavy metal has been linked to damage to the brain and nervous system. It has also been linked to fertility problems.

In 2005, the government announced mercury filtering equipment must be fitted at all crematoria by 2012 to limit the mercury pollution caused when tooth fillings are vaporised.