The Twin Rivers Unified School District is taking a stand against plans for a crematorium less than 1,000 feet from Babcock Elementary School in Sacramento, citing concerns about air quality and potential health risks for students and families.<\/p>\n
The school board voted to pass a resolution opposing the project and is calling on Sacramento-area agencies to deny the permits needed to build and operate the crematorium.<\/p>\n
The vote comes months after concerns were first raised about the project and after the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District cited the business for installing cremation equipment before receiving a required construction permit.<\/p>\n
The crematorium is part of Sant Sagar Funeral Home.<\/p>\n
During a CBS News Sacramento report in April, neighbors questioned whether emissions from the crematorium could expose nearby families to potentially harmful air contaminants.<\/p>\n
“That’s literally what it is \u2014 the health concern, and then years to come,” one parent said at the time.<\/p>\n
Among the concerns raised by neighbors are potential emissions of toxic air contaminants, including heavy metals.<\/p>\n
Those concerns grew after CBS News Sacramento previously found cremation chambers already installed inside the business suite, despite the required construction permits not being in place.<\/p>\n
Following that report, the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District issued a violation to Sant Sagar Funeral Home for installing equipment before a construction permit had been issued.<\/p>\n
The violation was issued in July, and construction was ordered to stop.<\/p>\n
By September, however, the crematorium’s exhaust stacks had been installed \u2014 the same stacks CBS News Sacramento previously showed as part of the planned cremation system.<\/p>\n
That development was a concern for members of the Twin Rivers school board.<\/p>\n
“I’m against this,” one board member said during the meeting.<\/p>\n
Board members cited the crematorium’s proximity to Babcock Elementary and concerns about potential exposure to air contaminants.<\/p>\n
State law requires parents and guardians of students at schools near certain crematorium projects to receive notification about the potential for toxic air contaminants.<\/p>\n
The school board does not have authority over the agencies responsible for permitting the project, but members said they hope the resolution makes clear that they want the permits denied.<\/p>\n
The nonprofit behind the funeral home and proposed crematorium has previously said it is following applicable safety guidelines and the permitting process.<\/p>\n
The organization did not respond to a request for comment about the school board’s latest action.<\/p>\n
The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, meanwhile, has determined that the health risk from the proposed project is within acceptable levels and that the project complies with other air-quality requirements.<\/p>\n
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